What Came To Pass
by ferer56
Summary: All it took was one bullet, to change the course of history forever, and as Station Square's defenders mourn the loss of one of their own, the survivors must band together against an evil that threatens them all, as the sins of the past emerge to the fore
1. The Beginning of the End

_Copyright notice- I do NOT own sonic nor do I own Sega. I write this for no profit on my part and all characters belonging to Sega belong to Sega and Sonic Team. By the way don't repost this elsewhere without permission or just don't post it anywhere else, much easier for me to handle._

By ferer56

Desolation, that is the first word that should come to mind when viewing the once great city of station square. Few dead are

apparent in the city, the dead hiding within the few buildings that still stand. Those few buildings that do stand appear to have

been peeled and gutted by some ferocious power. The city used to be bustling, saturated with small children dancing and

playing in the parks, and occasionally the streets. Adults drove on well worn roads of hardened tar to work. One would even

occasionally view the stereotypical random dog ferociously barking at the stereotypical terrified cat comically stuck up a tree.

Yet when viewed as it was to become, it was mind-boggling to imagine that this city ever had any life in it. Gloomy over- cast

and heavy rains perpetually dampen the once fair city, mourning the horrific atrocity that collectively annihilated the city's

population. Not a single crow could be spotted, to pick and scavenge at the rotting flesh of the dead.

There would be no great rebuilding of this city, for the people who rebuild a city are the survivors and in a city with no survivors

how can it be rebuilt? The world watched in horror, as the episode unfolded on their T.V.'s, the destruction. All over the world

millions saw the final moments of the once proud city. The citizens, tragically,didn't realize they're peril until it was too late.

The destruction of Station Square would have long lasting consequences, consequences that would change the course of

history forever. But I'm getting ahead of myself, for to truly understand what happened to this idyllic city you must first

understand the actions of those involved. I now take you to the very day of the cataclysm. A mere few hours before the event

that would come to be known as the Beginning Of The End.

_also any word misuse, grammatical errors, or cooking recipes you would like to share, please either leave a comment or send me a message. (preferably cookie recipes :D) I also cant seem to double space after sentences or indent using the docs feature on so if anybody knows what i could be doing wrong, again, leave me a review or send me a message. _

_Final note for this chapter (I promise!). This tale is going to be a fair bit darker than the regular sonic games (M for a reason). Ill try to explain why characters might be acting OOC but if you find any that are acting grossly OOC please tell me so i may correct the mistake!_


	2. Discussion

I now take you to a dilapidated building nestled deep within the forest in the mystic ruins. Where the first steps of this story

appear as two hit men discuss among themselves if they should take the job that has arisen for them to do. "Robert you're not

serious are you?" A middle aged bespectacled man asked his gaunt, bony figure leaning against a wall in the corner for

support. The small cramped room which they both resided in from time to time as a hide out in between contracts, unimpressed

by his partners bold assertions he spoke out against them indigently. "We are not seriously discussing doing a hit on Sonic,

you know… the guy who defeated not only Chaos, but Solaris as well? Not to mention various other monsters are we?" The

middle aged man asked in full seriousness.

"That is exactly what we are doing here, and it would be better for both of us if you'd shut up and think about this

opportunity." Exclaimed the man we now know as Robert. He was a young man, about 25 at the oldest with a ruddy

complexion and blondish short hair that matched perfectly with his eager and rash style of decision making. His cheeks flared

red at his companion's attempts to make him reconsider his stance on the contract given to them by the enigmatic Eggman.

"Think of it Ben according to this tape if we can accomplish this we're set for life! "Robert stated, beaming at the very notion.

"Also consider the repercussions if we do a hit on him the whole bloody state would be on our asses! I'm sorry but this is too

risky even for me!" Ben proclaimed, standing strong on his position.

"But think about if we can accomplish this!" Robert exclaimed, his enthusiasm exuding out of his pores like sweat. "To think we

can get two million for just one hit, it's a dream and you'd throw it all away because of the chances we'd get caught? I thought

you were made of sterner stuff but if you don't come along ill just take the shot alone! All the reward would be mine!" Robert

added his eyes twinkling with a greedy lustfulness.

"Well think about the trustworthiness of our client, Eggman's not one whom I'd think to honor a deal Robert and you and I both

know it!" Ben argued "Untrustworthy! He gave us an advance of 50 goddamn grand! That's a lot of money for a regular hit and

getting two million for one shot that fifty grand is the icing on the cake my friend. Besides who'd notice us? It's the annual gun

festival today, we'd be inconspicuous walking around town with sniper rifles in tow. Get in a building give him a pop and split

what's so hard for you to understand here Ben?"

"I still don't like it but if I'm going to prison I might as well share the same cell with you. I'll do it but if we miss, even once, were

out no second shots, this is far too risky to do anything less than perfect." Ben finished, consenting to the silver tongued

Roberts words, walking over to a small cabinet beside the door. Inside laid two sniper rifles mounted carefully within the rotting

wood that housed them both carefully. He grabbed one of them and threw it over to Robert with a "catch". He grabbed the

remaining one for himself as he loaded it with rounds from within the same cabinet. "Are you ready then Robert?" Ben asked

him.

"I sure am! Consider it a deal partner and I wont miss, money in the bank I say money in the bank!" With that ordeal

accomplished the two men walked out of their small hovel into the sunlight and to the train station. Little did they realize the

consequences of their actions, as they walked up to the Station Square terminal, got their tickets, and were off into the very

heart of Station Square.


	3. The Ring

Elsewhere however they're a different sort of ordeal, one not involving guns or money. Now we must turn our eyes away from

the hit men. A more dangerous man was walking amidst Station Square. Barely noticed, he thrived within the shadows and

infamy of the evil Eggman, however his animosity in this tale was about to reach its end. We must now head onward to

theslums of this city. In the northern district where a store aptly named "Walters Curios" lies stranded along the numerous

decrepit broken roads that snake through the area. Walter, theowner of the store, is a small balding man who's only

noteworthy quality's are his love oftobacco and his insistence on carrying a colt .45 every waking moment.

"Dam place I swear's the rats and flies are gonna be the death o' me someday in this horridstore." That coming from the

stores' owner, Walter himself as he picked up his pipe and applied his 3.5 grams of premium tobacco liberally throughout. If he

spent as much money on his stores condition as he spent monthly on tobacco he'd probably make a mansion out of it.

Yet his addiction to this narcotic he put above all else, including his health. "Dammeet gotta clean up dis damn place agin 'fore

the customers start a comin." He rasped victim to the kind of lung deterioration that one can expect from an avid tobacco user

of twenty-five years. "Just t'ink though's after dis' month I'm outta here! Only one more month of these idjeets and i'll have

saved 'nough to leave this damn city fer' good! Good riddance too!" He laughed to himself, which was promptly followed by a

loud and noxious choking cough.

As he was in the middle of his coughing fit the bell rang at the door signaling the coming of a customer. He promptly took

control of his coughing bout and took a gander at the person who had just walked into his store. The man who walked in was

shrouded in a large black cloak with matching gloves. The new customers face could not be seen as the cloak's hood concealed

facial features remarkably well.

"Err… ello dere anything you'se wants from me little shop 'ere mate?" Walter asked as kindly as he could muster, while

readying his hand into his coat pocket for his .45. He did not knowwhy, but his senses practically screamed this guy was

trouble and when you upheld a shop inthe slummy section of the city he knew better than to ignore the signs, no matter how

innocuous the occasion may be. (One false move…) Walter told himself as the stranger answered his query.

"Yes…" replied the figure in black. "I am looking for something… particular…and I believe it can be found here." The customer

added with a charm that was completely at odds with the rest of his somewhat off-putting demeanor.

"Well I have a nice collection of tings in my store." Walter stated that fact proudly and his hand, against the wishes of his

senses, fell rather limply off his .45. "Can you be a wee bit more particular den dat Mr.….errrrr"

"You can call me …. Steve… and I'm looking for a particular ring that I was assured I could find here by a colleague of

mine." The figure replied clarifying matters a bit for Walter.

"Well we have a large collection of rings, yer free ter look in the 'arehouse for them." Walter rasped in reply, as his cough came

back upon him. He slowly started shuffling over to the back door and inserted a rusty key into the lock on the door. The door

opened slowly on hinges creaky with rust and disuse, Steve followed Walter into the warehouse.

The warehouse was very dusty and unkempt with wide shelves that had objects seemingly tossed upon them at random and

the various rats skittering back to their holes when the lights turned on didn't help the decor any. "All our rings are in that

barrel in thar corner yer free ter look in dere and tell me if ya find sumtin ya like!" Walter enthusiasticaly exclaimed as he

shuffled back to his task of cleaning up his store, which happened to be desperate need of cleaning. Easy to see, due to all the

littered cigarette butts and grime that seemed to virtually gestate within his store. It seemed an impossible task, cleaning

the filthy store, nevertheless Walter began to toil at it.

"Hmmm..." The figure pondered, going over the barrel that was full of rings just stuffed to bursting within the small confines of

their barrel in the corner of the warehouse. "Walter…" Even though Steve seemed to enunciate this in a whisper, it seemed

Walter could somehow hear the whisper through the back door as he picked up another gram of tobacco to add to his pipe as

he sat in his favorite chair. The only chair he owned not infested with termites. He had given up the task of cleaning his store,

unsurprisingly.

"Is anyting wrong Steve?" Walter asked, politely, or at least as politely as someone as crude as he could muster.

"You're lying to me Walter," Steve exclaimed with an unmistakable venom in his voice. Walter jumped out of his chair annoyed

as he shuffled back to his irate customer; he thought to himself, was this the same voice that had earlier sounded so charming

and persuasive to him?

"What is you talkin' bout? I havent said a dam lie to ya's don't make such a accusation to me pal or ill throw yee right out of me

store!" Walter retorted angrily, when he had shuffled back into the warehouse.

"Walter… I know that you own what I seek….. Where are the rest of your rings? Don't make me wait… I don't like waiting… I've

waited far too long for some imbecile like you to muck things up!"

That exclamation made Walter very mad. "IMBECILE!" Walter shouted with fury "I let you in dere out of da kindness of mah

heart, and dis is how im repaid? Now you'se thinks ill let you'se call me names! Well you'se got another ting comin!" Walter

exclaimed as he pulled out his .45 "Aight pal," he exclaimed cocking his .45 and pointing the revolver at Steve who stood

stoically still. "You'se better 'pologize and leave dis store before I decide to blow out yer goddamn brains!"

"Don't make me laugh; you are weak. The only power you have is you're revolting speech impediment, and that grows tiring.

Now, give me the rest of the rings, or you're going to end up dead on the floor… I'm waiting…" Steve reproached the diminutive

figure before him with a disturbingly out of place chuckle.

"OK you'se must be crazy, I have the gun!" Though the gun gave him some degree of confidence, on the inside he was scared

at the remarks Steve had made about him, and his hands trembled noticeably at this threat. He didn't know why after all he

thought, Steve couldn't possibly back up his threats… could he? Walter decided that Steve was bluffing and made a final remark

to the man before him. "I'm not giving you'se jack all squat ill keel you now!" With that said Walter fired a solitary round, and

as it sped toward Steve, he didn't attempt to sidestep or jump out of the way. The cloaked figure didn't even flinch as the bullet

burrowed a path through his body, tearing a small hole in Steve's cloak. There was no scream, Steve just fell and slumped over

on the floor.

"Heh, he wasn't so tough." Walter told himself with smug satisfaction as he began to walk out of the room. If he had turned

around he would have noticed Steve slowly arise and walk stealthily behind him. Suddenly Steve grabbed Walter's shoulder

and spun the confused man around to face himself. "WHAT I… I… SHOT YOU'SE YOU…YOU CANT BE ALIVE!"Walter blubbered in

horror as he broke away from Steve's grip as fast as his aging reflexes permitted pointed the .45 directly at Steve and shot him

as many times as he had ammo which had no effect on Steve as he glared at the shivering little man before him. Steve

suddenly lunged at Walter grabbing him by the neck and pulling him up; they were now face to face.

"You do realize… how fucked you are now right? If you will not give me the ring then I shall take it from you're cold, dead,

unmoving corpse… goodbye Walter…" Steve remarked coldly to the pale faced man before him pulling down his hood with his

free hand as Walter gazed upon Steve's face. "Gaze into the eyes of the abyss Walter…" Steve mocked before he deftly and

with great speed snapped Walters neck. A loud audible noise emanated from Walters neck, as the ligaments holding it

together tore.

Steve loosened his grip on Walter's dead body as the corpse fell to the floor with a resounding thud. "And return, from whence

you came…" Steve muttered underneath his breath as he covered up his face again with his cloaks' hood. As he accomplished

this minor task he noticedthe bullet hole that had torn the fabric of his cloak. Without uttering a word he traced a gloved finger

around the area where the bullet had entered his body. The hole in the cloak disappeared gradually, as the tattered cloth ends

began to seam themselves back together. "Much better,"Steve mused as he leaned down to the body of the late Walter and

began to search the dead mans pockets with his hands. "Hmmm…." Steve murmured, as he began to sift his eyes through all

the various knick knacks he had scrounged. "Ah here it is, the ring was in his pocket the entire time…excellent." Steve said

aloud to himself as he arose from Walters's corpse with a ring in his palm. The ring looked much like any other ring, aside from

the fact it seemed to radiate a dull grayish color. "Damnit!" Steve shouted with repressed anger as he re-focused his gaze

upon the grayish ring that glimmered faintly in his open palm. "The ring appears to have lost its charge… I didn't expect this. I'll

have to charge it myself, and who knows how long that would take years! At least seven!" Steve got a grip on his anger

though as he quickly put the ring in a pocket inside his cloak which he then sealed with the pocket's small zipper. "I've waited

so long now, seven years wont be that bad, now how to destroy the body….."

Steve scanned the room, he immediately saw Walters's still burning pipe on the ground and an idea began to form within his

mind. He picked it up and threw it into a nearby disheveled box of clothing. The burning pipe coupled with the flammable

clothes and dry humid air of the warehouse made the place a virtual tinderbox. As the flames started spewing he quietly left

the building. Steve had achieved his goal and saw no point in lingering around any longer than necessary. People swarmed to

the fire and news people came to cover the story. Nobody knew what had had truly happened inside that decrepit little store.

Popular speculation stated that Walter was using his tobacco pipe when he accidentally dropped it on the clothing igniting a

large fire. Nobody mentioned the man in the cloak who had slipped out of the building and into the alley.

_Editors note- wow my second note huh? I'm on a roll! Anyway, to the point there is a reason why "Steve" can survive bullet wounds. A mostly logical reason so don't everyone jump ship because all shall be explained!_


	4. Invention

Now we must take leave of the now burning shop Walters curios. We must head north now to the city limits in a workshop

of sorts situated on a hill top over looking the city. Now this workshop is owned and operated by perhaps the most intelligent

individual to ever live. With an I.Q. of 350, his intelligence is far beyond genius level or any other measure of intelligence for

that matter. He chose this small lonely hill for the quiet seclusion it managed to afford compared to the noise of the city it

overlooks.

Inside theworkshop lay shelves filled to the breaking point with inventions and mementos from past adventures. The room is

dark save for a small lit lamp on a desk in the corner. Beside that lamp lay a fairly large open toolbox, its contents neatly

arranged within. On the walls were various trinkets from his earlier days. The room was devoid of much else, there was a small

TV with a moth eaten sofa in front of it presumably to sit on though its state of decay made it hard to believe anyone would

want to sit on it for fear what might be lurking within it. Besides the sofa, lay a small glass table, presumably an area to place

drinks, books and the occasional newspaper clipping or article of interest. The floor was dotted with crumpled balls of paper

each one signifying an endeavor that had failed to work. At the desk a familiar figure is hard at work, busy tinkering on some

new invention of his.

"Alright let's see now…. Ok….wrench this." The figure said aloud. as his hands reached out grasping a monkey wrench from his

toolbox. He began screwing on a kind of antenna onto his invention when all of a sudden the antenna broke from the pressure.

"DAMMIT!" The figure yelled as he reclined in his musty old E-Z chair. "I must've applied it with too much damn force!" He

exclaimed to himself with a sigh as he looked up at the ceiling thinking. His hands unfurled slowly dropping his wrench to the

floor. "OW!" He yelled in both pain and surprise as an unnoticed tack in the chair dug into his back. He reached back and pulled

out the rusty tack from his chair examining it before he hurled it across the room. (I need a new damn chair,) he thought as he

sat back down in his musty dirty old chair.

(Damn antenna broke,) he mused to himself (How will I be able to afford another?) Lying there thinking he grabbed his latest

work, and held it aloft to his criticizing eye. The device was a spherical object with a little pale yellowish keypad on the right

side, but its main feature was the stone in the center, the stone seemed to emanate an odd glow covered in a latch that held it

onto the sphere. He tossed it in the air and instead of dropping; the sphere seemed to float back. (At least the D.N.A. signature

recognition has to be working correctly one good thing…) He thought as he placed the sphere on the table it began to float

back to him when he pressed a button on the keypad and it shut off. (Yup DNA recognition works, that's a relief one less thing

to worry about.) He lay back wary of any other unwanted drill like objects that could bore into his skin. (If only I could perfect

this… the good this device could do if used correctly is immense, and if I could only get a patent I'd never have to worry about

money again.) While he was thinking about his new invention he didn't notice as the workshop door slowly creaked open and

light poured through into the dark musty room.

"Hello?" Asked a woman walking through the door the light illuminated her as she said this making her green dress sparkle an

unearthly color. (And if I could just….,) he paused in mid-thought as he noticed the presence of the woman hearing her voice.

"Cosmo? How'd you get in here?" He asked getting up while stealthily moving a piece of paper over the sphere in an attempt

to hide his new invention.

"Well the latch seems broken so I just pushed into it and…. Should I not be here right now?" She asked in an odd, apologetic,

way. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you ill just be going … I …guess…" She stated shyly, as she turned to walk away. her head was

down concentrating its concentrating its solemn gaze in the direction of the floor.

"Wait, Cosmo don't take this so harshly you're always welcome here, just surprised me that'sall. I could have sworn I fixed the

latch on the main entrance, to think after inventing both the Typhoon and Tornado I couldn't fix a lousy latch huh?" He

remarked with a grin on his face.

"Well that is rather funny," Cosmo replied with a small chuckle. "So what have you been up to lately Miles?" She asked him as

she braved the moth-eaten sofa and sat in it, amazingly given its state of disrepair, no huge carnivorous insects popped out.

Cosmo was the only person who called Miles by his real name, most people just called him by his nickname "Tails" because he

had two tails. Nobody knew why or how but he had them, and they were obviously there to stay.

"Well I suppose there's no point in hiding my latest invention anymore." Miles expressed with a bit of pompous flair as his hand

grasped and removed the paper covering his invention, now revealed the sphere glowed majestically in the dim lamplight.

"Wow…what is it?" Cosmo asked intrigued, as she stared at the sphere in wonderment. "This is perhaps my greatest

invention." Miles stated informatively with pompous flair that he didn't even attempt to disguise. "It's what I call the

resuscitator, and it can ……revive the dead!" He announced with a triumphant grin, as Cosmo's eyes widened as she gasped in

shock.

"That… i-nventi-on… Can raise… the dead?!" Cosmo finally stammered out, astonished by this revelation. "How is that possible?

Reviving a dead creature? That goes against all the rules of nature!" She exclaimed, both shock and astonishment lining her

every word.

"Yes my invention can revive the dead but…." He added with some degree of humiliation hinting at some flaw in his invention. "

The sphere can revive dead creatures, but it would take years for it to store enough thermal energy to raise even the smallest

of ants." He finished with a sigh of disappointment.

"Thermal energy… That device uses heat?" She asked in bewilderment. Even with her misgivings about such a device and even

with the inclusion of this flaw she understood that the resuscitator was still an amazing leap forward in scientific study.

"Well the resuscitator can use either extreme heat or extreme cold." Miles started, as he began to drawl onto one of his well

known long winded explanations before the questioner garnered common sense and asked for a simple "English please"

explanation. Cosmo however seemed genuinely interested in this and just listened as he began. "Ok the device works because

of the stone in the center" he began as Cosmo interrupted with a question.

"I've never seen a stone like that before where did you find it?" She asked, perplexed to the origins of the glimmering stone

before her.

"Well it's not from Earth, remember three years ago when the Metorex attacked? I found it on one of the planets we visited to

get back the planet egg, forget which one though…." He answered as he thought when he couldn't come up with a planet

name he just continued. "Anyway, I studied this stone along with some others I had collected but this stone had such unusual

properties I began studying it to the exclusion of the others. It turns out after some study it had some sort of healing power.

Well after I discovered that I made this outer casing." He explained pointing towards the afore-mentioned outer casing

surrounding the stone as a visual aid. "As an amplifier, perhaps the strongest I've ever made. This shell can, well, amplify the

healing properties of this device one hundredfold enabling it to "theoretically" revive the dead as I've stated before. While the

resuscitator does have the power to bring back the dead an action that drastic would require a MASSIVE amount of energy. It

would take years to supply enough thermal energy for the device to work and by that time the body would have decomposed

too seriously for even the incredible regenerative and healing effects of the resuscitator to work. Another major flaw is that it

has to remain charged by one specific type of thermal energy at a time, hot or cold, if its charge was too change from say hot to

cold its thermal balance would change and the device would restart the energy gathering process. That's why it's difficult to

make my device useful, it would take too long for it to charge up enough for it to be used practically." Miles finished with a sigh

and a depressing look of failure on his face.

"Well… it's still a huge leap forward in science Miles." Cosmo exclaimed enthusiastically in an attempt to cheer him up. "But

what if it got stolen?" She added rather ominously. "The device could be used to revive malevolent people and creatures. With

that come to think of it don't you think the science of resurrection should never be found out? Death is part of the natural order

and cheating it…. the thought of it ….."

"Well…" Miles began trying desperately to defend his new invention. "Well you cheated death… after you died to aid in the

defeat of Dark Oak you came back, it took a few years but you nevertheless did return which to me counts as cheating death."

He finished ending his short, little monologue in defense of his position.

"You don't understand though… the seed that was not cheating death, it was a way of preventing the Seedrian race from

being completely exterminated… you don't hold that against me do you Miles?" Cosmo asked as she began to tear up.

the myriad of atrocities that Dark Oak had committed, still lingered in her mind.

"No! No of course not I'm sorry Cosmo that was a stupid point… of course I'm glad things turned out the way they did… I don't

know what I'd do if you were to … to…" Miles found he couldn't finish the sentence as he too remembered the deep sadness

that he had felt after she had selflessly sacrificed herself to stop the monstrous Dark Oak. The months hadn't done much to

temper the sadness he had felt from that period, the long bouts of depression and forced seclusion much to the worriment of

his friends. Lonely, miserable, and joyless those years were for him, until the seed she had left behind after the destruction of

Dark Oak, which he had planted in his backyard, grew miraculously back into Cosmo a scant half a year after the defeat of

Solaris. If there was one thing he was sure of he _never_ wanted things to go back to the way they had been just a scant few

months ago. But even with her safe return those events had left an indelible impression on his mind, he was still recovering

emotionally from her death, the intervening months not doing much to temper his old wound.

"It's okay Miles I understand, But I'm still curious how can you be sure the resuscitator wont be stolen?" Cosmo asked him with

a reassuring smile. He answered promptly and without hesitation.

"The resuscitator can't be stolen because of DNA recognition." He made a pause there waiting for Cosmo to ask what that

meant, she did.

"What's that mean?" She asked him with that Miles, recovering quickly from his earlier chagrin with a grin on his face,

explained.

"It's quite simple really the resuscitator will never leave my side due to DNA recognition, the device will follow me around

everywhere that way it cant be stolen. Unless I get kidnapped or something…… never really thought about that till now…

Hmmm, anyway it's still safe because even if grabbed the sphere would eventually force its way back to me." Miles explained

taking pride in his genius. Even as Cosmo seemed to get more and more disturbed by how much evil such a machine could

theoretically do.

"So why build it? What's the reason for such a thing?" She asked perplexed, as Miles heard this he got upand sat down on the

musty old couch beside her. This time something did crawl out of the cushions, which Miles promptly crushed with his hand.

"Damn bugs," he swore under his breath.

"Huh?"Cosmo inquired, a look of simple interest flashing across her features.

"Nothing, anyway as you may have noticed I'm not a rich man." As he said thatas if in mocking, a spring bounced up in the

middle of the sofa. "That was sooooo necessary." He announced with a sigh, pushing the spring back down into the couch. "So

as you can see I need money to finance future endeavors and toget a decent non-moth eaten couch with working springs, this

resuscitator if I could get apatent on it….." As he said this he thought of how rich he could become the inventor of adevice that

could cheat death itself. "Think of it optimistically though Cosmo, people who die in war, through gunshot wounds for example,

could be brought back, drowning victims, crash victims… Well at least ones that aren't terribly mangled… The point is the device

could be used for good as well besides….the money…" He added with a disconcerting greedy glaze in his eyes.

"Don't patent it Miles please…. If someone dies it should be the end, don't attempt to mess with nature … for me?" She added

obviously distraught.

"Ok I won't patent it you're probably right. The device would probably do more harm than good; I guess I just deluded myself

for a second there." He replied with a slight tinge of sadness. "I just….. Need money and apparently no one wants to buy

instant yogurt makers anymore. But I'll keep it around mainly to study its unique properties and the DNA recognition will make

sure that the device doesn't fall into the wrong hands… " He remarked, thinking back to the days when he made such little

things for fun, before money became an issue.

"Ok as long as you don't patent it. It's truly a genius invention and I applaud you for it, however the general public should

never get hold of such an item so thanks for your decision." She replied with a cheery smile. Miles noticed an old newspaper

lying on the floor, he got up and casually picked up the newspaper as he plopped himself back down beside the couch with

Cosmo.

"I don't know why I still pay for the newspaper…but since I do might as well read it." He mused aloud, mostly to himself it

seemed, as he opened its pages. "Huh… The 2006 November issue, I need to keep better track of my stuff." He mused as he

browsed through the pages seemingly

oblivious to the fact he had a guest with him. He read aloud some of the article. "Wow, November was a crazy month," he

began "Spoon is being toted by some people as the real god," he read aloud from a short article on the front page. "We

couldn't reach the Church of Spoon for comment but we are assured it's not a religious money scam." He read aloud as he

finished the article "Jeez a church worshiping spoons?" He chuckled, showing the article to Cosmo.

"That's …strange… but it's their …"belief" so I don't need to judge them." Cosmo replied as she read the article in question.

"Huh apparently Scientology just wasn't wacko enough." Miles remarked amused as he folded the newspaper. He was about to

toss it unceremoniously away when the headline on the front page caught his attention. "Sonic and co. save the earth yet

again." He read aloud as he sat back down on the couch with the newspaper in hand. "After much struggle Sonic, world

renowned hero, was able to defeat a being known only as quote "Solaris". When questioned for comment Sonic with great

modesty told us here at SS News it was a "team effort" well this reporter says bull. Tails' didn't do jack all squat to stop the

menace. Mostly Tails stood in the background as the unofficial group cheerleader." As Miles read this his face grew flustered

and angry at the remark. "It's widely known that Miles "Tails" Prower has not been any help to the teams efforts for the past

year after the death of the last Seedrian girl "Cosmo". When asked about Miles and his lack of participation in the battle Sonic,

hero that he was, stood up for his crybaby friend. Saying he was quote "Deeply distressed and in no position to be badgered"

of course Miles trouble extend far beyond mere cowardice. His "inventions" are the laughingstock of the scientific community

and the youngster who showed so much promise is about ready to be shoved into the dustbin of has- beens and good

riddance I say! Silver could not be reached for comment and when we had tried to get an interview with Shadow he rudely told

us to quote "go fuck yourself".

The article continued on but Miles stopped there "GODAMMIT!" He exclaimed as he slammed his fist onto the small glass table in

front of him. His strength more impressive then most gave him credit for, as his fist smashed through the glass. "I DON'T

FUCKING GET IT!" He exclaimed in fury, as he hurled the paper aside with great force. "I HAVE HELPED THIS CITY SO MANY

GODDAMN TIMES I'VE DONE MY SHARE AND THIS "REPORTER" CALLS ME A COWARD!! WHAT THE HELL HAS HE DONE LATELY

HUH??" Miles shouted in blind rage.

"Please calm down! That was two years ago!" Cosmo pleaded, latching onto his arm as his anger began to spiral out of control.

"Please…. you're scaring me!" All of a sudden his rage apparently spent, Miles fell back onto the couch with a depressing

and morose look lining his face.

"I'm… sorry I… didn't mean to… scare you." He answered with a tinge of sadness in his voice. "I… just don't GET IT!" His arms

heaved up and just as it looked like he'd smash something once again he calmed down and sighed.

"Miles…" she asked tenderly "are you okay? You've never had an outburst like that before I…. was worried." She told him tears

welling in her eyes in response to his unexpected violent outburst.

"Yes I'm fine… thanks for the concern it… means a lot to me." "Your…welcome," she whispered, quietly in reply. "It just isn't

fair." He exclaimed suddenly, causing Cosmo to react with a slight jump. "Why do I play second banana to sonic anyway? I've

done just as much as he has and yet…." He recalled in his memory all the times Sonic and himself had thwarted Eggman's plans

for world domination. "No I… shouldn't be jealous, I suppose it's for the best I'm not any good in the spotlight anyway I guess."

He sighed "They didn't have to personally attack me though." Miles now seemed to just be spouting off sentences to no

particular person. "I try my best… I really do… Solaris was out of my league…i was too depressed to attempt to fight that

monster...whenever I try to help this city…." He paused, thinking to find the right words to explain his feelings adequately.

"Somehow the media manages to spin a story to make me look like a pansy while Sonic, and hell even Knuckles save the day. I

built the tornado two that Sonic rode to the Egg Carrier but the papers don't mention the assault on that warship and how

hard that ordeal was." He seemed to be getting upset again but Cosmo bit her lip as he continued. "Or for example the vicious

assault Sonic and I started against the monstrous war station Death Egg. It's always how I'm a failure to the group and after a

while it's tiring after a while seeing all your work being bashed by some idiotic reporter hunting for vulnerabilities to serve

himself and his own warped agenda." Miles moped openly at his own remarks, dejected.

"Well you're a hero to me Miles, if it makes you feel any better…." Cosmo reponded, smiling encouragingly.

"It's not just the slanderous news articles though…" Miles added suddenly, he quickly tried to cover his mouth but it was too late.

"What do you mean?" Cosmo asked him, curious to his remark.

"Oh it's probably nothing." Miles answered evasively, trying to back himself away from the conversation he had unwittingly

started.

"No… please something else is bothering you, don't try to avoid it what's the matter? You can tell me anything, you know that

right Tails?" She inquired with sincerity. Seeing no way out of the conversation he answered her sincerity with truthfulness.

"Well I just have a bad feeling… I can't explain it but its there. It's one of the reasons I've been

trying to complete the resuscitator so quickly lately." "What kind of bad feeling?" Cosmo

asked him with concern. "It's been a while since Eggman has tried anything, I have a feeling he hasn't just been wasting that

time… every time he attacks us, his machinations seem to get more dangerous, his twisted creations deadlier with his every

defeat. Sonic can't stay toe to toe with Eggman forever and I worry, how would the world cope if Sonic died? That is a question

I cannot answer, and the fact that I can't answer that frightens me a great deal. Eggman has persistence on his side, we can't

ignore his threat any longer, and it's going to be either him or us you know? What if he managed to surprise Sonic and kill him?

What if he managed to kill me? What if he managed to, god forbid, kill you? Daily life is getting far too dangerous with him

around, Eggman must die…" He finished exasperated and, against his will, he began to weep silently as Cosmo tried to comfort

him.

"I understand these are weighty concerns you have I too have felt the increasing insanity, the escalation, of Eggmans' attacks.

But you don't have to worry about me Tails, I wont leave you again, all alone to fend for yourself, I'm here for you… always."

Cosmo finished as she stared deeply into his eyes, they twinkled brilliantly in the pale dim light.

"C-Cosmo…. I h-have to …. tell you… s-s-something…" He stuttered nervously.

"Hmm? What?" She asked him instinctively inching a little closer.

"Well… I…" but before he could finish that sentence there was a loud banging noise from the broken door. The door suddenly

flew off its hinges and landed broken four feet from the entrance and…..


	5. Familiar Face

"HEY FELLAS!" A familiar voice shouted.

"AMY!?" Miles yelled in response, surprised that Amy has chosen to visit today of all days.

"In the flesh!" She replied grinning, the door was now broken in half on the floor. Splinters and assorted timbers crowded near

it as she quickly tread over it for fear of splinters. "Nice door Tails, top-quality, really out did yourself working on that." Amy

mused as she casually strolled towards them.

"Wha… What are you doing here?!" He asked with a small degree of justifiable confusion.

"Welllllll." She started seeming to want to build some dramatic tension. "I thought I'd pop in and say hello. Since the door

wasn't locked, hell the door wasn't even connected to the hinges properly, I thought it would be A-Ok to come barging in!" she

finished with a look of supreme satisfaction over her accomplishment. "Why…" She prompted, slyly moving over behind the

couch, in the face of Miles who fidgeted with one of his tails nervously. "Was I _interrupting_ something?" Amy emphasized, taking

no pains to conceal her motive for asking.

"Well…err… of… of course… not…" Miles stuttered rather unconvincingly.

"We were just having a talk to catch up on old times." Cosmo stated plainly while at the same time trying to divert Amy's

curiosity.

"Well, forget the old, what's the new? You all know I'm always up for new things." She reminded them both, another sly smile

beginning to form on her face.

"Uh... not much from me." Miles muttered as he smothered the resuscitator under his seat cushion. Cosmo noticed but had no

comment; Amy however didn't notice the sneaky maneuver.

"Ok well than what is? You must've been up to something Tails; I haven't seen you in a week! You're not… hiding something

from me are you Tails?" Amy asked him rather inquisitively.

"The reason for my being away and all is because I was, uhh, busy." He stated quickly before realizing his blunder.

"Oh on what?" Amy asked leaning over to him. Pouncing on the information he had unwittingly given her. "C'mon you can tell

me, I always keep secrets."

"Well it's not really a secret I have…. Been doing work on the Tornado 2!" Miles stammered out with a finish as Amy gasped

and Cosmo stared at him rather oddly.

"The… Tornado…. 2?" Amy stammered in disbelief after she caught her breath from the initial shock. "Ok

you _do_ realize you have, let's see what's the word, oh ya… A MUCH BETTER VERSION OF THE TORNADO DON'T YOU? WHAT THE

HELL ARE YOU WORKING ON THE TORNADO 2 FOR?!" Amy yelled her patience stretched to the breaking point at the shock of

the revelation.

"I must admit Miles working on the Tornado 2 does seem like a waste of time…" Cosmo stated somewhat shyly. "But I'm sure

you have a good reason for enhancing the plane." She quickly added with a slight smile pursing her lips.

"Ha! Good reason my foot, working on that old hunk of junk." Amy interjected, having calmed down a bit since her initial

outburst of surprise. "Jeez how damn old must that thing be anyway? That was back when Chaos attacked years ago; why the

hell do you wanna work on it." Amy inquired, still angry but her voice indicated at least a small hint of curiosity as well. "Well if

you're done yelling I DO have a reason, good or not you can decide." Miles irately retorted, slightly angry at his friends'

constant stream of teasing words.

"Well I'm listening… smart guy…." Amy muttered under her breath unsubtly.

"My reason is…. Because I felt like it." He informed them both with a rather sheepish grin. He also braced for the storm he knew

was going to come to pass upon this statement of his.

"THAT'S YOURE GODDAMN REASON? JEEZ YOU'RE THE DUMBEST, SMART PERSON I KNOW AND THAT'S SAYING……not much

actually, BUT STILL!"

Amy might have gone further if it hadn't been for Cosmo's question. "How can you work on the Tornado 2 when you told me

you were broke?" "Wait… he's broke?" Amy turned to ask Cosmo quizzically.

"Well that's what he told me." Cosmo replied, looking to Miles for confirmation on this fact.

"Yes, but I started this project two months ago back when I had money from video game and TV show royalties but….. I don't

get much in the way of royalties anymore seeing how most of the time I'm just the group technician or inventor… they aren't

giving me much money anymore at all. I unwisely decided to spend all of my limited funds to work on the Tornado 2 based on

the assumption I would get more money from royalties on my patented yogurt maker. Sadly, the product bombed and now

most companies are afraid to finance any more of my endeavors. " He professed informatively, completing his short monologue

with a somewhat fitting melancholy sigh.

"Wow, tough break Tails that really sucks. I know what you mean, can Eggman hurry up and build some terribly inane invention

for us to easily defeat. Make a new video game or T.V. show off the battle, maybe lengthen it a bit with pointless filler, then we

could get royalties again! But, investing all of your money on the Tornado 2 before you even got back a profit from the yogurt

maker you built was a remarkably bone-headed decision. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are supposed to be the smart one

right? I'm pretty sure Knuckles is the one who's supposed to be making all the bone-headed decisions." Amy didn't notice Miles

shuffle nervously at her Eggman comment.

"Well I haven't told you what I have done to the Tornado 2 have I?" He questioned them both rhetorically, recovering quickly

from his nervous bout, while at the same time successfully changing the subject. "It's perhaps the fastest airplane in the world.

I've also managed to make it transform into a battle walker like the T3. A much more advanced advanced battle walker than

the T3 ever was."

"Wow, that's great Miles!" Cosmo cheered for her friends' accomplishment enthusiastically.

"Hey if it doesn't have a wine parlor somewhere on it I don't care." Amy mumbled bored at the exclamation that seemed

exciting to Cosmo. "AMY!" Cosmo shouted in astonishment, surprising Amy enough to make her jump.

"What!? It's not that great." She began, defending her comment.

"Not that, you're not old enough to drink Amy and you know it." Cosmo spoke admonishingly, speaking with a brashness that

surprised even herself.

"So? Underage drinking is fine in my opinion, as long as you don't drink and drive." She stated with a melancholy about her

words that was unmistakable.

"Is there something wrong Amy?" Cosmo worriedly inquired, changing her tone with her considerably.

"No… nothing at all." Amy responded stoically "I almost forgot why I came here." She added, successfully diverting the subject

from her morally questionable drinking habits.

"Hmm? Well I knew you had a reason, you're not the kind of person to go out of you're way to meet me on my little patch of

dirt here just to say hello." Miles muttered with a small degree of hurt pride and contempt, reading through her motives like he

would an open book.

"Gee how did you know Tails you are such a genius it scares me sometimes." Amy retorted callously, reaching for the remote

that was now wedged tightly between the two seat cushions.

"Why thank you I pride…. Oh you were being sarcastic right?"

"Nooo, how could I possibly be sarcastic to you?! Where'd you get that silly idea?" Amy taunted as she turned on the T.V.

which amazingly crackled to life with a fairly decent picture. "At least your T.V. doesn't totally suck." Amy remarked coldly as she

decided to jump between the two sitting on the couch. In the process shoving them both rather forcefully to either side while

stifling their no doubt numerous complaints.

"Thanks for the compliment. Now what is it you were...?" Miles was cut off before he could even finish half of his question.

"SHHHHHHHH the news is on and I might as well watch it on you're television since I took the time to come over here." Amy

shouted at him, clearly agitated. "Somehow, he's smart enough to build a spaceship yet building a half decent T.V. is beyond

his capabilities." She grumbled under her breath.

"Well…" Miles began, "I sai-"

"SHHHHHHHHHHH dammit the news is on, now shut up, it's their special." Amy interjected, stifling any chances for an amiable

discussion over her domination of the T.V.

"Special?" Cosmo asked her, safely returning back into the conversation.

"Mhmm, it's about the new plane the government has been building."

The news blared on and the reporter appeared on screen, shortly after the logo came up. The reporter wasn't in a studio; he

was located in what seemed to be a deserted area of sorts. Mike in hand the reporter was standing in front of what looked like

an army base. Trucks wheeled around outside the base and many guards and servicemen were present, machine guns slung

over their shoulders. "Greetings from SSN." He told the enthusiastic crowd that had appeared suddenly to the side when the

camera veered off to show them. "Today we bring you a special exclusive report. Today we bring our viewers to that was until

recently a top secret military base in Washington D.C.! But now, their project finished, they can now with pride show our

viewers an exclusive first look at the Z4-500 code name The Harbinger." He shouted, riling up the dense crowd of people

before him into a frenzy of sorts. "Now, here today to discuss this momentous occasion with me today is the project leader

himself. He will discuss this new plane with me inside the base. I'm sorry to say to the crowd that only the camera crew and I

are allowed inside so you're free to stand here but you cannot enter the base."

With that statement the enthusiastic crowd went silent and the vast majority mostly shuffled their feet and left. With that said

the reporter, along with his camera crew, were escorted inside the base by two armed guards.

"Ok before you're allowed inside." The guard on the right began speaking. "If you're camera has night vision you must not use

it." He told them strictly and emotionless like only a trained soldier can.

"Why?" the reporter began but they just gave him a shake of the head.

"Policy here just comply or you'll have to be escorted off the premises like your fans were." The guard snapped as he swiped a

card inside a small notch on the side of the building. They were admitted entry to the base. The base was dark and quiet the

only light source was a dim lamp on a reception desk to the side of where they were standing it seemed to the reporter that

everyone must be outside. He thought to himself but then why was it so dark? He tried to ask one of the guards but neither

guard even confirmed his existence. They walked along slowly in the almost pitch black corridors of the base. With the faint

light there was available, the reporter could see various plants lining the hall they were walking through. It seemed to him a

few drapes were hung but the darkness made identification rather difficult for him. It seemed the army men knew where they

were going because they moved them along at a fairly brisk pace until they reached a large door. It also had a key card slot on

the side of it and it had a light on it which was red signaling it wasn't open and one of their escort went over to it and swiped a

card into it. The slot beeped and the light turned green and they were admitted entrance into what appeared to be a large

hanger for aircraft. The hanger was even darker than the hallway had been and what little light there had been in the corridors

was all but gone now. They had to rely again upon the guards who seemed to know exactly where they were going even in

the near total darkness.

"Ok seriously what the hell, some damn special huh?" Amy exclaimed to no one in particular as it seemed all they were going to

see was a black screen.

"Maybe their circuit breaker is busted?" Cosmo suggested trying to give a reason for the utter blackness on the screen.

"Probably not cause even if it had been they'd let them use night vision. This is very odd, what is going on down there?" Miles

stated puzzling over why the area would be so dark "I guess we'll just have to keep watching." Miles added after a long

pause.

"Well if I wanted to see complete darkness I would just smash a baseball bat, in the general direction of my skull" Amy quipped

with a slightly morbid tone of voice. Just as it looked like she'd start complaining again, a faint light emanated from the screen.

They all proceeded to watch as slowly but surely a figure appeared out of the darkness seated at a rather small table.

"Who the heck is that" The reported asked himself as they trudged along to the table and as they approached more and more

of the figures features came into view. To the reporter the figure seemed to be in his late forties or early fifties as they

approached he looked up at them, Illuminated in the light from the small lamp on the table. Aside from the Lamp the table

appeared almost completely bare of any other furnishing or ornaments. He had red hair that was immaculately combed. H also

seemed to be balding in some places even though it was clear the man was trying to hide his balding head with hair combed

over a wide area. From a distance the reporter could just barely make out the mans blue eyes. A rather small red mustache

adorned his face that was as immaculately groomed as his hair was. He was wearing what looked like a very expensive suit,

more than the reporter could afford anyway.

"Welcome!" The man greeted in a thin raspy voice as he began to stand up. "I'm sorry if I had… inconvenienced you but you

must realize that this IS a military base. We're not ready to divulge some of what were working on yet so we turned off the

lights so you wouldn't be able to see any of our other projects."

"Ok if that was true why make the whole place DARK! And not just take the cameras away from us?" The reporter was angry at

this man whom he believed had tricked him into thinking it was something far more sinister than just a small, childish prank.

"Well..." The man started, "I thought it would be more entertaining to you're fans if the base had an air of mystery. Also I

thought it would be cool." He finished with a small chuckle. "Anyway, where are my manners? My name is Emmanuel, my last

name is classified." He once again gave a hearty chuckle as he laughed at his own joke. "A bit of CIA humor for you. I'm just

kidding my last names Fails, got made fun of in school for that all the time." Emmanuel mused, he probably would've continued

his topic of corny jokes if it hadn't been for the ahem coming from the direction of the reporter. "Oh ya!" He exclaimed, suddenly

remembering the entire reason for the interview. "The reason you're here, Harbinger, forgot about that. Well the plane is just

over there." Emmanuel pointed to something in the darkness "Oops!" He added, mildly embarrassed at his own forgetfulness.

"Forgot to turn on the lights." He explained, his cheeks beginning to turn beet red. He quickly flicked a small switch on the table

that the reporter had not seen. A sudden burst of light illuminated a large plane that had been sitting just 20-30 feet from their

present location. The plane gleamed, with the support of the light. The product number z4-500 was etched on its side in silver

lettering. Underneath the plane were what appeared to be two engines welded to its bottom. The plane was shaped very

much like a stealth bomber, but on a larger scale. The plane also had a patriotic red, white, and blue paint job.

"That's the harbinger?" The reporter asked, unimpressed by the winged machine before him. The Harbinger looked like any old

plane to him.

"Ah, you are not impressed?" Emmanuel asked as he guessed the reporters thoughts "The outside isn't very

flashy but this plane isn't designed for flash anyway. This plane was designed primarily for speed and I can say with confidence

that it accomplishes its set purpose with flying... colors." He said those last words slowly as if in great pride over this

accomplishment. "

Ok then how fast can it go??"

"Why I'm glad you asked that now perhaps you've heard of faster planes. This plane however, is able to fly on its own power

without any outside support in getting it airborne." He told them as he began to drawl on the various intricacies of the

Harbinger. The reporter sidetracked and asked another question.

"So it's not actually the fastest?"

"No, but it is the fastest plane able to fly on its own power!"

"Ok, so why does it need to be that fast again?"

"Another question I'm glad you asked! You're on a roll!" He chuckled, "The Harbingers main purpose is in case of a nuclear

attack." "

A nuclear attack?!" The reporter asked as he leaned in closer.

"Yes if we are ever attacked with nuclear weapons this plane is meant to be sent out with nukes on board and bomb the shit

out of the country that nuked us." He told the reporter, disturbingly excited.

"With just one harbinger?"

"No of course not! This will be mass produced. We will have at least thirty-five of them by 2013. They are a safeguard of sorts;

in case America is attacked these planes will be sent out to neutralize enemy opposition before they can strike again. Did I

mention it's also undetectable by even the most advanced form of radar? We could send all thirty-five of these to a hostile

country and they wouldn't even know they were there till the bombs began dropping in their backyards!" Emmanuel smiled as

he leaned back comfortably in his chair.

"So it's a worst case scenario type of plane?"

"Exactly, that's the idea. In case of the worst, don't want to be caught trousers down do we?"

"So how fast can the plane fly at top speed?" The reporter once again asked glazing over what he thought was yet another

bad joke.

"Back to your old question eh? Well it goes approximately up to mach 8.5 at its top speed. Unfortunately we can't begin

production of this plane until we finally manage to manufacture a both lightweight _and _durable armor for the Harbinger. The

armor the Harbinger possesses now is rather weak compared to other aircraft of this day and age. A sacrifice to make the

plane as fast as it is. In fact we had to make it much larger than it would have been because of the plating's weak

infrastructure. After we get better plating, we will begin to mass manufacture these planes right here in the good old U.S.A.

Smaller than the plane you see now of course."

"Hmm, mach 8.5 huh sounds pretty damn fast." Amy explained with an intrigued aura surrounding her comment.

"Well I'll have you know that while fast, the T2 can indeed go faster!" Miles told them with an air of unreserved pride.

"You're kidding, how damn fast does the T2 go anyway?!" Amy asked him with a hint of annoyance in her tone as she flicked

the power button on the remote and the TV turned off with an anti climactic brrrzttt.

"Oh now you're interested! Well if you were paying attention earlier I would have told you!" He reprimanded her, an air of hurt

pride surrounding his every word.

"Fine don't tell me then." Amy crossed her arms with a "humph" and broke the attention of her gaze from Miles. Swiftly turning

her face away from Miles, apparently cross at the comment he had made. In the opposite direction, there was silence for a

while before Cosmo unceremoniously broke it.

"Hey so what's the big news Amy?" Amy speedily uncrossed her arms and turned back to face them. Instead of an emotion of

anger or annoyance there was unmitigated joy etched onto her every pore.

"Well, it so happens that Twinkle Parks famous "cute couples get in free" offer is still up!"

"They've had that forever! Wasn't that offer up when we were fighting chaos?" Miles asked her curiously. Inwardly he was

beginning to think he knew where Amy was going with this.

"Mhmm, and guess what?" Amy began, dramatically pausing before the big reveal. "Sonic agreed to go with me!!" She finally

finished after she felt she had kept her small audience in rapture for long enough. Miles could tell she was very excited about

this new development.

"Wait… Sonic? Agreed? Last time I checked he told you to go jump in a lake why did he agree?" Miles asked her surprised; he

knew that there must be something. Sonic routinely did his best to avoid her. Which led Miles back to the question, does Sonic

like her? Or is he serious in his many professions of his complete and utter dislike of Amy?

"Beat him in a game of poker." Amy replied interrupting the thought process Miles had started. She was beaming and her eyes

twinkled, a trait neither Miles nor Cosmo rarely saw.

"Really congrats!" Cosmo applauded with her usual good humor. "Thanks Cosmo!" Amy replied laughing,

"So what were you two wagering?" Miles asked her as Amy stopped laughing for a minute to answer. It must have been

something pretty significant for him to wager a date with her. Unless Sonic did like her and he was just hiding his feelings. But if

he was, then why, was he just shy? He vowed to himself that he would find out what Sonic really thought of Amy, one way or

another.

"I wagered that if he won I would leave him alone for 3 months." She replied, still ecstatic over her victory.

"O…kay so what does this have to do with Cosmo and I?"

"Well" Amy started as she stopped humming "Let's say a little birdie told me you two were in the process of hooking up." She

explained, coyly winking at Cosmo.

She didn't receive an answer as both Miles and Cosmo shuffled somewhat nervously. Cosmo quickly glanced to see Miles

reaction to this bit of news. She realized he looked just as nervous as she was. Yet as nervous as she was, she couldn't help

but feel an indefinable joy to the idea of going on what amounted to a date with the two tailed fox.

"So I want to know, do you two want to go?" Amy asked, as was becoming a habit of hers interrupting the thought processes

of both Cosmo and Miles.

"Sure!" Cosmo blurted before Miles could even say a word of confirmation or rejection. "Sounds like fun! You don't have to do

anything right Miles?" In truth Miles had been hoping to finish work on the resuscitator but he thought it would be healthy for

him if he went. Not to mention the fact he could spend time with Cosmo while not having to worry about tinkering on inventions

or Eggman's increasingly dangerous attacks.

"Ok I'll go"

"Super!" Cosmo exclaimed as she jumped off the couch. "When can we go?"

"No time like the present!" Amy yelled as she also jumped off the couch, making a beeline for the exit.

"Ok here I come as well" as Miles left the couch he forgot about the resuscitator and it floated back to him, Making small

beeping noises the whole way.

"Umm Tails?" Amy asked as she turned around to find the source of the noise. "What the hell is that?" She asked pointing at

the object that was now revolving around Miles making the occasional beeping noise.

"Uhhh..." Miles began to think of a lie.

"Cmonnnn you can tell me. As I have stated before I keep great secrets!" Amy gave an unconvincing smile to try and prove her

sincerity.

"It's a… a…" Miles was thinking when he hit onto a solution. "It's a resuscitator!" He told her, making sure not to keep eye

contact.

"A what?" Amy asked him, while at the same time noticing the fact that Miles wasn't looking her in the eyes.

"It can revive the dead!" He shouted to her as she stared at him in disbelief.

"Do I really look that stupid to you Tails? What's does that thing really do?" Amy had done exactly as Miles expected and his

reply revealed that with a sly nonchalance.

"That's what my invention does; I'm not lying to you Amy. What ever made you get the silly idea that I would _ever_ lie to you?"

He stated as sarcastically as he could manage. A role reversal to Amy's earlier comments about his genius.

"Fine if you're not going to tell me I'm not gonna ask anymore! To hell with you and that stupid floating thingamajig!" She

screeched as she stalked off, mumbling and grumbling to herself the whole way. Miles gave a casual wink to Cosmo as they

both left the decrepit workshop. Miles however had remembered a question he had been planning for quite some time to ask

Cosmo. With Amy now ahead of them both, he thought now was as good a time as any to satiate his curiosity before they

caught up with their slightly annoying friend.

"Hey... Cosmo" Miles began rather meekly.

"Yes? Is there something wrong Miles?" Cosmo replied stopping mid step, causing her to lose her balance. "Ahh!" She yelped in

surprise as she fell quickly to the ground.

"Cosmo!? Are you alright?" Miles asked lending his hand to help her back up. Dust particles had gotten a hold on the lower part

of her dress but were swept away with relative ease.

"Heh, guess I'm still a bit clumsy huh?" She laughed warmly, Miles responded with a small chuckle as well. Glad that she hadn't

been hurt in her fall.

"So..." She asked after she stopped giggling. "What was you're question? Hopefully I won't fall again before you're finished

asking it" She added with another warm smile.

"Well... I don't really want to bring this up but I want to know and I haven't really had the opportunity to ask you this yet." He

stated his query as if he was trying to distance himself somewhat from the question he was about to ask. "What happened

when you... died?" Miles stated almost perfectly despite his nervousness. His slight stutter near the end was the only thing

giving away his nervousness as he waited in anticipation for the answer. "What do you mean like... an afterlife?" Cosmo asked

perplexed and yet also intrigued at the question her friend had brought up.

"Ya, what did happen after you died?"

"I... don't think there is an afterlife Miles. All I remember was a feeling of emptiness, a sort of void I guess." She explained, but

before Miles could even respond to her, she interrupted him. "But, there must be something! Why would people die if there

wasn't anything after death?" Cosmo asked somewhat rhetorically, she wasn't expecting an answer.

"No life... after death?" Miles muttered inaudibly under his breath.

"Um Miles are you ok? You look a bit pale." Cosmo asked him, concern flashing through her eyes.

"What? Oh yes! I'm...uh... perfectly fine and dandy!" He replied with a chuckle, but it was a fake chuckle and he knew it. If what

Cosmo was saying was correct, than did that mean religion was a sham? "No!" He thought to himself. "I can't think like that,

there has to be something, anything." "Umm, Miles you're looking even paler. Are you sure you're not sick today? We don't

have to go you know... If you're sick it would be better if we didn't go." Cosmo stated, once again jarring Miles from his

thoughts.

"Hey! Are we going to get going? We're going to be late!" Amy shouted from a fair distance off. Prompting Miles to confirm to

Cosmo he was alright, steadying her nerves considerably. They both caught up to Amy and began to head towards Twinkle

Park.

They did not notice a cloaked man watching them, via binoculars, from a roof top a fair ways away from their location. "Soon, I

am so close now... I can almost feel this... After so long my journey is nearly over. Now I just need patience..." The man

thought as he began to follow them from a distance, leaping between rooftops. The man began to laugh, he did not know why.

He decided after some thought that he liked the sound.


	6. Road To Twinkle Park

"Sooo…" Miles started as they strolled casually down the street. "What have you been up too lately Amy?" A smile showed over

Amy's face as she strolled along.

"Well would you be surprised if I told you I'm going to get a job?" Amy replied with nonchalance.

"A JOB?!" Miles and Cosmo shouted in unison, shocked at this new revelation.

"I thought you'd be surprised, I'm going to be a co-pilot!" She shouted with glee, ecstatic at her job choice.

"Why a co-pilot?" Cosmo asked her questioningly.

"Well I figured all my time as co-pilot for the various tornado incarnations would pay off eventually. Of course I'm hoping Tails

here could give me a good reference." She laughed at her own little joke. "Now I won't have to rely on royalties to get money

besides it'll be fun!"

"Right… fun..." Miles grumbled under his breath. He didn't like the prospect of taking a job and having to sit at some desk

somewhere filing papers. Not that he was legally old enough anyway, but he liked to remind himself of his goals in life. One of

which was to not get a desk job, strangely enough. He much preferred tinkering on various doo-dads in his workshop.

"And maybe with a job Sonic will finally notice me and..." She mumbled off, twirling around in a state of mind bordering on

euphoria. "Oh... Oops" She laughed as she noticed how excited she had gotten.

"Well that's great!" Cosmo piped in enthusiastically. "See Tails? At least someone, shares some enthusiasm!" Cosmo jokingly

teased him, she was obviously very excited. She usually wasn't this excitable about things, but seeing her mood now Tails

thought he wouldn't mind seeing this side of her personality more often.

"Besides I don't see you talking about getting a job. Earlier you were just whining about how you didn't have any money. I'm

sure you could get a workers permit with that big head of yours. Don't even say age is the primary factor, you're just continuing

your quest to bankrupt yourself. Seriously what the hell is that thing hovering around you?" Amy demanded an answer to her

question, pointing at the machine that was in perpetual orbit around Miles body to better illustrate her point.

"Amy is becoming _very _good at stopping my thought processes." Miles thought with a small degree of agitation. He decided to

revoke the same explanation he had given her earlier. "I told you it rev-" He was cut off abruptly.

"You seriously expect me to believe that? Come on Tails! Why won't you tell me? Some friend _you_ turned out to be!" Amy

pouted, spinning around quickly with a "HUMPH!" The conversation died down and it was silent for a while as they continued

their journey to twinkle park. The streets were full of banners proclaiming it was, "GUN FESTIVAL! FOOD, DRINKS, FUN! BRING

THE KIDS!" People were everywhere walking down the street. Some carried with them simple handguns while others carried

more elaborate designs.

"What a horrid festival..." Cosmo stated, shattering the silence that had enveloped them with her comment. "Guns… only evil

come of them. What ever happened to respect for nature and living things?" She inquired half rhetorically; she really wasn't

expecting an answer. Heck she wasn't even expecting a reply!

"Heh..." Amy half laughed at some joke she had probably constructed in her mind. "Respect for nature died out with the Bill

Clinton administration!" She once again laughed at her own morbid little joke. Neither Miles nor Cosmo found that comment as amusing as she did however. "Hey! That was funny you all have no sense of humor!"

"Well it wasn't funny, just sad. People take too much for granted here on my planet-" She began but Amy quickly cut her off,

entering full tangent mode.

"On your planet? Do you remember what happened to your planet? IT WAS DESTROYED! Most everyone on your planet except

you, died! And then there was the space colony, BUT THAT WAS DESTROYED AS WELL! Maybe if the Seedrians hadn't been such

tree huggers, they'd have been able to stop the Metorex and your sister wouldn't be DEAD!" She yelled in a kind of righteous

indignation, callously not thinking about her choice of words or the effects they might have on Cosmos low self-esteem issues.

Cosmo just stopped walking, shocked. She crumpled to the floor, as she began to sob right then and there.

"Cosmo are you okay?" Miles asked with deeply worried anxiety. "What possessed Amy to even say that?" He wondered as he

tried his best to comfort her. He went down beside her as she continued sobbing hysterically on the floor of the sidewalk.

People walked by her with questioning glances and phrases. Before hurrying off to run their various errands.

"Why…. did you have to bring that up Amy?" Cosmo tearfully questioned, her eyes suddenly grew wide as if in some sort of

realization. "It's... my fault that she's dead... if I hadn't been so afraid, if…" She began sobbing hysterically again as Amy ran

over to her side.

"Jesus! I'm so, so sorry Cosmo. I was just... I was just... I don't know mad I guess! " Amy expressed, horrified and ashamed of

what she had just exclaimed. Despite Amy's sincere words of regret Cosmo continued to mourn for her dead friends.

"If only…" She began, but Miles interrupted her. She had a somewhat disturbing tendency to blame herself whenever things

went wrong. A tendency that never failed to make Miles try his very best to cheer her back up.

"Cosmo you can't worry about what you could have done. It wasn't you're fault, the blame lies with Dark Oak and you know it."

He stated kindly, trying his best to rebuild her self-esteem. Those words of encouragement made him remember Dark Oak,

much to his displeasure. He shook his head, now was neither the time nor the place to remember that vile creature.

"Thanks Miles, Amy..." Cosmo replied standing up, tears still flowed from her face but she wasn't sobbing as much as she had

been. "I'm okay..." She professed to them both as they each tried to comfort her.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you upset! I'm just so nervous today, I... I've been being a jerk to you all. I didn't mean

anything that I said! Their deaths weren't you're fault Cosmo!" Amy exclaimed, apologizing profusely and at the same time

trying to rebuild her teary eyed friend's wall of self worth. Cosmo began to slowly regain her composure, thanks to the kind

words of her friends.

"I'm all right, thanks for the concern. Really it means a lot to me, I forgive you Amy. Please don't get all bent out of shape over

it. I... just don't want to remember this today. I just want to have some fun, please don't feel as if you need to feel sorry for

me. But... They are all dead, oh Galaxina... I could have saved her..." She began to water at the eyes, but she amazingly kept

herself from tearing up and slowly stood up. "C'mon, we don't want to be late do we?" Cosmo asked, trying to rebuild some

semblance of normalcy. She didn't want the others to feel sorry for her, somehow their kind words and piteous expressions

made her feel even worse. She felt like she was manipulating their emotions, and she didn't like the thought of that. She

wanted to just forget the entire affair. She began to walk off, trying to urge the others to follow her, they both obliged.

"You're okay then right Cosmo?" Miles asked her, concern and sincerity lining his kindly facial features.

"Ya, I'm fine, c'mon lets go to Twinkle Park!" Cosmo exclaimed excitedly, though she said it happily to them, in truth she still felt

terrible.

"Ok then, were off! C'mon don't be so slow!" Amy started to run briskly, relieved that all had been forgiven. She ran off with a

condescending cry of, "See you slowpokes later!" Before either Cosmo or Miles could reply to her challenge of sorts she was

off. She ran fast toward Twinkle Park leaving both Cosmo and Miles behind once the dust had finally settled.

Cosmo gave a wry smile to Miles. "Hey…. Thanks for what you said to me earlier... it meant a lot to me." She whispered to him

quietly, feeling better just knowing that Miles was always there for her. Even if she felt he was just a little bit over-protective.

Considering how much he had beaten himself up over her earlier death however, his behavior was understandable to her. She

realized she didn't feel bad about herself. She unanimously decided she liked the feeling of content that she was experiencing now.

"No problem, you're my friend! Though if you aren't feeling okay then…"

"No I'm fine let's just have fun today okay? A day like today where there are no monsters threatening the city or a deranged

Eggman attacking… A peaceful day lets make the most of it" She asked sincerely as they both walked in stride with each others

movements, side by side.

"I'll race you!" Miles suddenly exclaimed with a boyish grin. "You're on!" Cosmo replied with a laugh.

With that they both rushed off into the crowd, racing far past the dreariness of

everyday life. Various shouts of "Hey! No fair!" and "You can't fly!" came from them as

they raced along, oblivious to the snide glances and odd looks the citizens gave them.

The sun behind them went down as dusk enveloped the city in a tinted red. A beautiful

ending to a perfect day where nothing could go wrong….


	7. Conversation Amongst Friends

Dusk was beginning to envelop the city by the time they reached Twilight Park. The crowds of people were far less dense now

that the sun had almost completed its long journey west. "TWINKLE PARK" the sign on the elevator said and beneath those

large bold printed letters, just as Amy had told them, was a "Cute couples get in free!" sign. Near the entrance a familiar blue

hedgehog was waiting impatiently. His eyes were closed as if he had fallen asleep by the side of the building, apparently

dozing. As they walked over his eyes quickly opened and he took a yawn.

"Took you all long enough." The figure stated with a yawn as he walked over towards them.

"Hey Son-" Miles began but he was quickly cut off by Amy, who had brushed him aside in a mad dash to reach Sonic.

"AAAHHHH!" The newly revealed Sonic screamed as his attempt to dodge her failed.

"SONIC! You're here I knew you would be here!" Amy squealed in delight and content, as she began to hug him. Her tight grip

on Sonic was causing his eyes to bulge noticeably out of their sockets.

"A…mmy this is… emmbarrasin…g and I can't… breathe..." Sonic stuttered, his oxygen intake was reaching drastically low levels.

"Oops sorry, heh…" Amy apologized; blushing madly as she mercifully released him from her patented death hug. Sonic gasped

at his sudden release, he didn't waste any time as he began to inhale the sweet taste of oxygen.

"Thank you Amy... remarkably... this time... I didn't pass out... " Sonic thanked her in a sarcastic tone, a unique mannerism of

sorts he used liberally when Amy was around. As Sonic finished his task of collecting oxygen so he could function, he caught

glimpse of Miles and Cosmo. The two of them were just staring at the scene that had developed before them.

"Wow…." Cosmo giggled a little at the scene that had developed before her eyes.

"So uh…" Miles started, trying to find a way to break the awkwardness that had just unfolded before them. "How's it going

Sonic?"

"Well..." Sonic began as he suddenly began stretching his unusually long legs.

"Aside from the fact I was pretty much forced..." Sonic interjected his own sentence with a glare in Amy's direction, she was

smiling devilishly back at him. "To come here... I thought I might as well make the best of things..." He ended his subtle diatribe

with a purposefully audible sigh.

"So Sonic is anybody else coming today?" Miles asked trying to break the ice anyway he could.

"Well, I thought Rouge and Knuckles were coming. Maybe they still are but I don't think so anymore. Shadow was off being,

well, Shadow. Cream is currently on vacation with her mother. They had won a lottery for two tickets to Florida it seems.

Finally yours-truly is attempting to make his escape." Sonic finished as he attempted to run off into the distance, Amy grabbed

him by the neck before he had even begun to run.

"Nice try." Amy coldly taunted him, an annoyed expression lining her face.

"Can't really blame me can you?" Sonic replied with a grin as he broke free from Amy's grip. Sonic was silent for a minute,

probably trying to perfect another escape plan. The beeping machine whirring around Miles' body however, abruptly stole his

undivided attention away from his planning. "Umm, Tails? What the hell is that?" Sonic inquired, pointing at the hovering

machine.

"Humph" Amy started, clearly agitated "That's his "_resuscitator" _it can bring dead people back to life_..." _Amy explained to him, a

layer of disgust and sarcasm easily recognizable in her tone of voice.

"Wait, you're trying to tell me that little bot can ressur-?" But before Sonic could finish his question, Amy hastily interjected his

inquiry.

"Cmmmmooooonnnnn Sonic, who cares what the levitating ball of bolts, does? Now that we are here let's get going!

Remember our deal Sonic; I won the match so you have to be my boyfriend for the day!"

"I never agreed to that!" Sonic replied in shock, Amy wagged a finger at her _boy-friend_ as he began to back away slowly.

"You sure as heck did, this is _our_ date today. I'm not letting you get wrapped up in that stupid machine of Tails when you

should be focusing on me!" Amy whined, attempting to tug Sonics arm in the direction of the amusement parks elevator doors.

"Ames, get off my arm..." Sonic reprimanded her, trying vainly to get Amy to release her death grip on his arm.

"I told you not to call me that!" Amy pouted, immediately her hands released Sonics arms from their grip. Amy pouted; clearly

annoyed at the nickname Sonic had taken upon himself to make for her.

"Ames, Ames, Ames, Ammmmeeeessssss." Sonic sung aloud, taking pride in the fact that this was royally ticking off his _girl-_

_friend._

"Fine! I'm going on ahead! C'mon Cosmo let's get going before the lines are too long." Amy pretty much commanded, latching

now onto Cosmo's arm.

"Ermmm... ok! See ya inside Miles!" Cosmo managed to say cheerfully before she was dragged into the elevator with Amy,

leaving Miles and Sonic outside.

"Wow… Amy's really _devoted _to getting your attention isn't she?" Miles stated the obvious with a smirk.

"She's always been like that though, hasn't she?" Sonic replied, his tone of voice suggesting he was being rhetorical. The

crowds of people had thinned considerably since Miles had begun his short journey to Twinkle Park. They both took a seat

on a nearby bench, primarily to catch up on old times.

"Well she has always wanted you're attention since you saved her from Metal Sonic." Miles told him as Sonic frowned at the

thought.

"Man, I remember the 1st time I met that hunk of junk, that race Eggman had started between us. I barely made it out alive of

that deathtrap alive. When he came back some years ago, well, he was no cakewalk that's for sure." Sonic sighed, once again

remembering his old victories. "Man I didn't destroy him the 2nd time either, what do you think happened to him?" Sonic

mused, despite his innate desire to never see such a creature again; he still wondered what had become of his old foe.

"Well... you did say you wanted a rematch with Metal Sonic. It certainly has been a while since you made your offer. Maybe he

never fully recovered; we beat him down pretty badly." Miles offered as an answer to his friend who was now deep in thought.

"So... Sonic how _did_ Amy beat you in a game of poker?" Miles started, trying to drum up what would almost certainly amount to

an interesting conversation.

"Man... would you believe she managed to get a royal flush?" Sonic paused, obviously in clear agitation over what he would

say next. "I had a pair…" Sonic mercifully ended his previous statement as Miles laughed at his misfortune. "Man I had so much

better things to do today then go to Twinkle Park. The last time I was here took place years ago! And that was only because of

that damn robot Zero. So I return back here and they still have that damn promotion going on I mean how many times can I tell

Amy that I don't like her before she leaves me alone?" Sonic told his friend who was silent at this revelation.

"Sonic… Is that how you really feel about her?" Miles asked his friend who was in deep thought, he wasn't going to let Sonic

dodge this question.

"Well... it's complicated Tails." Sonic began, cutting his mental attitude of indifference and sarcasm whenever his relationship

with Amy was brought up.

"How can this be complicated Sonic? Do you have any idea what the mental strain you're... idiocy must be having on her?" Miles

replied with callousness to his words that shocked even himself.

"You make it sound so simple, as if I can just go out and express my feelings for people freely. My life doesn't work out that

way." Sonic retorted, it was clear to Miles he was now just dodging the question at hand.

"DAMNIT SONIC SHE LOVES YOU! DO YOU LOVE HER BACK OR NOT? ANSWER ME!" Miles yelled out in rage over his friends

increasingly evasive attempts to avoid answering his question.

"Look Tails, it's not as simple as if I like Amy or not. I have melded myself into this sort of, heroic role model figure for the city.

Of course that brings with it the ever growing attentions of Eggman. I don't have time for relationships as it is.

Hypothetically speaking, if I did have a relationship with Amy then that would also give Eggman a weakness he could exploit.

You know what Eggman could do to us, he is insane and I am getting the feeling I must end his madness once and for all. If

Eggman learned I had feelings for someone he would no doubt use them to lure me into a trap. I don't know how much longer

I can evade Eggman's increasingly demented attempts at my destruction. A relationship with Amy would only hurt us both. Until

I can finally kill him the situation we have at present will escalate." Sonic monologued with a gloom melancholy lacing his words,

expressing his feelings in a way that Miles could instantly understand.

"Gee, that's pretty insightful Sonic. I never thought of it that way. You are right, Eggman has to be stopped." Miles replied, his

earlier rage dissolving rapidly. "I'm, uh, sorry for yelling at you Sonic..." Tails anxiously apologized after a short pause

in the conversation, allowing them both time to think. "I guess… I'm just worried that, one day Amy will just leave you behind

before you finally realize you love her. Despite her almost leech-like love of you, eventually your indifference and harsh

words are going to drive her away. I don't want to see that happen; you two seem almost perfect for each other. You two fill

that kind of bickering couple stereotype one often sees in movies. Not that I'm insinuating you're both Hollywood brand

stereotypes."

"It's alright; I think you are correct in your assumption about Amy. I have been much too harsh on her, I feel a bit bad about it

actually. I really thought that my attitude towards her was the best course of action. I'll be nicer to her from now on Tails, and

after we defeat Eggman..." Sonic paused; Tails didn't require him to finish his sentence. He could understand how Sonic was

feeling right now and an explanation was not necessary.

"I guess we're all feeling a little on edge. Eggman hasn't attacked in a while which means he's probably plotting our deaths

right this very moment." Miles stated, offering a reason for his earlier angered outburst.

"Ya, I think you're right on that. Oh I almost forgot, I have finally gotten my tickets booked for myself and my parents for the

around the world cruise coming up in a few weeks. I know Amy is going, probably because I'm going. Rouge and Knuckles might

come, just to steal everything that isn't nailed down on the ship." Sonic gave a slight chuckle.

"Rouge is a notorious kleptomaniac; I wouldn't be surprised if she ditched us just to go steal something from the new jewelry

store that opened just last week." Miles offered while they both laughed heartily.

"Oh... that was funny. If I may get back to the matter at hand, haven't asked either Cosmo or Cream yet so I don't know if they

would come along. I want to know if I can mark you down as coming. Maybe you could even bring your parents along, eh? I

have always wondered what the parents of the smartest person I know would look like." Sonic finished jokingly; Miles however

did not share in his enthusiasm.

"Look Sonic, I'm pretty much subsisting on rice and leaves now. I don't have the money to pay for a cruise like that." Miles

replied, but Sonic could see something else was bothering him. His friend was fidgeting rather nervously on the bench.

"I could pay for your ticket, as well as you're parents. Come now, I owe you at least that much don't I?" Sonic kindly offered an

offer that Miles refused outright.

"No, I need to finish some work on ... a project..." Miles curtly replied his evasiveness was beginning to annoy Sonic. "

Miles, I'm offering you and you're parents free tickets... what's the big deal? You're acting evasively Miles; you know you can

talk to me about anything right? Is it about your parents?" A change came over Miles face, it lasted for a brief few seconds but

Sonic knew instinctively he had hit the nail upon the head.

"Sonic, my parents and I... we aren't on very good terms. It's not a big deal just some minor communication errors between

us."

"Well then this cruise could help you bridge that gap between your parents and yourself." Sonic replied, not giving up in his

quest to reveal what the problem was between Miles and his parents.

"I'm sorry but I don't think a simple cruise would patch things up between my parents and I. It's... a little more complex than

that." Miles replied, becoming agitated with Sonics' incessant nagging.

"Well would you like me to schedule family therapy sessions?"

"LOOK SONIC I DONT WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT SO COULD YOU PLEASE JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Tails fierily retorted in rage, he

calmed down just as quickly however. "I'm... sorry Sonic... can we just not talk about this? It's not important I suppose in the

grand scheme of things. Things were said and done between us that have made it hard for me to go back." Miles replied, Sonic

decided that this would be a good time to abort his little mission.

"Ok... I just worry I guess. Would you come alone then?"

"Ya, sure..." Miles curtly replied, conversation was quiet for a while as they both were deep in their own thoughts.

"So, what is that machine orbiting around you like a satellite? Can I touch it?" Before Miles could even give a reply, Sonic

grabbed the device. "OUCH!" Sonic yelped in pain as the machine shocked him. Sonic fell to the ground with a deafening thud.

Miles looked on all this with a smirk as his friend got up, rubbing his head in pain. "Ok... I don't even want to know what that

thing is anymore!" Sonic chuckled a little, Miles laughed along with him.

"I would have told you if you had given me the time to explain, yet another security measure I have installed on the device."

Miles replied with an air of pride. "So Sonic are you ready to go to Twinkle Park now?" Miles asked his friend extending a hand,

which Sonic grasped as he was pulled up.

"Ya I guess no sense staying out here man all those guns are beginning freak me out." Sonic exclaimed looking at the various

people with shirts condoning gun usage and rifles.

"It's like the NRA is on parade eh?" Miles chuckled a bit at the small joke he had made. "Ok let's get going then and remember

Sonic… be nice to Amy okay?"

"Alright alright" Sonic replied with a small bit of agitation. He leaped off the bench and ran over into the elevator. "Meet you up

Tails!" He exclaimed as the elevator took him up. Miles took a quick glance back then hurried up the elevator to the park for

some well deserved vacation time. Meanwhile three men were located in the same building besides the entrance to Twinkle

Park. Two of the men were getting ready for a hit. The other man was observing the various actions of the people and places

around the general area from above the roof of the building. The two groups were oblivious to the presences of the others.

"Are you ready then Robert?" One of the hit-men asked as he tossed some rounds of munitions over to his partner.

"You bet, come on. We have a fortune to make." The man named Robert grinned as he locked and loaded his sniper rifle. He

stared down its scope, ready and waiting for the perfect opportunity to commence his deadly mission.


	8. Twinkle Park

Sonic and Miles found Amy and Cosmo near the entrance to the park. They were having an animated discussion about

something it seemed, and hadn't noticed their arrival. Shifting their eyes' attention, both Sonic and Miles gaped in awe at the

huge indoor park. Stretching far from their position, roller coasters could be easily seen. That was not all, street vendors of

sorts could also be seen lining the pathways, and numerous smaller rides dotted the landscape in festive lights. People

streamed through the area, the major paths clogged with various clashing colors. The large, deafening roar of the rides' and

the crowds' screams echoed, even to their rather remote location near the entrance. "My god… it has been such a long time. I

had forgotten how, big… the place is." Sonic announced, as Miles began to think of a suitable response.

"Ya… no kidding!" Miles replied, as awestruck as Sonic was at the sheer amount of stuff crammed into the building. Miles shook

his head, remembering something. "C'mon Sonic, we can be awestruck later. After all, if I do recall correctly, you did have a

certain date with another certain pink hedgehog right?" Miles smirked playfully, grinning in a way Sonic found slightly disturbing.

He was about to go intrude on Amy and Cosmo's discussion when Sonic grabbed him lightly by the neck, almost tripping him.

"Hey! Let me go!" Miles whined, pouting a bit as Sonic casually dragged him back to the entrance.

"I have a better idea, c'mon Tails, let's just sneak away. They won't know the difference!" Sonic chided his friend, who had a

look of uncertainty lining his features.

"You're not just trying to avoid Amy are you?" Miles asked him, reading his friends thoughts like he would a cheap pulp novel.

His resuscitator making its presence known by beeping and booping as continued orbit around its creator.

"Of course not!" Sonic exclaimed, feigning shock and disbelief. "Sonic… remember, be nice to Amy." Miles reminded him, a look

of mild contempt over Sonics earlier exclamation. His earlier playfulness, replaced with a distinct desire to get Sonic, stubborn

as he was, to listen to advice.

"Hey, you don't have to get so serious! I will take your advice so just don't worry about it alright? Besides, they are busy right

now. I can talk to Amy later! Right now I have the desire to duel you in the ancient art… of the water gun blasting game!" Sonic

exclaimed with a chuckle, Miles cracked a thin smile at that absurdity.

"Alright then, you're on… prepare to be beaten!" Miles replied after some thought, using his best, bad kung-fu movie voice.

"Now you're getting into the spirit of things!" Sonic responded with good humor as they both sneaked off to do battle using the

water guns.

As Sonic and Miles snuck off, Cosmo and Amy continued their conversation unabated. "I don't know... there's just something

about Tails I find a bit odd. Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy. One of the desperately few..." Amy started, as she made a not

too subtle glance in Sonic's general direction. She had noticed him sneaking off, but was so enraptured in the current

conversation she didn't give chase like she usually would. He was busy in some sort of water gun contest with Mile's where the

goal was to strike volumes of water into a moving target using some sort of water gun. Cosmo took a slightglance in the

direction Amy had been staring at; Cosmo saw them as well but paid them no heed as she questioned Amy on the meaning of

her earlier statement.

"Odd? What do you mean by that?" Cosmo asked, genuinely curious on what Amy had to say.

"Well he used to be cheerful and happy, before you died that is. I... have never seen such a change in somebody's personality

due to one single event. Even Rouge was alarmed at his increasingly strange behavior. His reluctance to partake in any of our

activities was getting a bit creepy. When Solaris attacked he was barely there, the game makers had to go and soften up the

events leading up to that monstrosity's demise." Amy sighed; she remembered the deep depression Miles had been in all too

well.

"Well... he's back to normal now! He's still kind and considerate, why did you say he _used_ to be happy and cheerful? He still is I

just think... he realized a cruel reality of the world that I know all too well..." Cosmo didn't finish that sentence, it wasn't

necessary. Amy understood exactly what she meant, and in a way Cosmos explanation made sense to her.

"Ya, I think you are right there Cosmo. That would make sense... before you're death, I don't think he knew much about life's

various tragedies. Now it seems he understands them very well, and his reactions are much too drastic I think." Amy replied

she was obviously putting a lot of effort into maintaining her side of the conversation. This was yet another aspect of her

personality that didn't show up as often as it probably should.

"What do you mean by too drastic? I have heard mention of his depression, yet I have heard no concrete details about it aside

from his self-inflicted isolation. What exactly did he do?" Cosmo asked, expecting a sincere reply. Amy thought for a while, she

had tried to avoid talking to in-depth about his depression. Yet it seemed her hands were tied, she decided to come clean.

"He was… suicidal…" Amy began, as Cosmo gasped a bit in shock. Her eyes grew wide in both sadness and fear. "We didn't

realize the full extent of his depression until two months later. I... was the one who found him unconscious actually, having left

my portable hammer in the workshop where he laid. He had…tried to cut himself. There was blood everywhere and the knife…"

Amy paused, grasping for the right words to continue her morbid tale. "He held the knife in his own hands, gloveless hands. For

all the deep cuts that literally adorned his arm, his hands were the worst. Like some sort of partial stigmata, he had stabbed

the knife directly through both of his hands. I'm guessing to accelerate the bleeding process. I haven't actually told anyone else

about his hands before, I couldn't stand the look of such terrible wounds. I covered his hands with his gloves, which were lying

to the side of him, right after I had used his phone to call an ambulance. After that he was pretty much confined to his hospital

bed for a few weeks because he couldn't be trusted not to commit suicide the second he would leave his restraints. During that

time he was very silent and morose, he never said anything even when myself or Sonic came to visit. The only thing he

chided me about was watering the plant in his workshop's backyard. That plant was his only memento he had left of you, and

he watered it every day almost religiously before he... tried to end his life… Somehow, that plant sprouted into a flower that re-

spawned you. Of course I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here. When he did leave the hospital he became even more reclusive,

to the point whe-" Cosmo interrupted Amy before she could finish.

"He got that…desperate over…me? He attempted suicide over my death?" Cosmo rhetorically inquired, she said it more as a

statement than a question.

"Well, yes…why, is something wrong? You do look a bit pale." Amy questioned her friend in concern.

"No, it's nothing… just… never mind. Let's just stop trying to dissect Mile's behind his back. It feels wrong to me; let's talk about

something else ok? Something… happier… this conversation is also… making me feel a bit depressed." Cosmo asked in obvious

distress. Amy relented immediately to the Seedrian girls' kindly command.

"Ok, you're right. This doesn't feel like the right thing to do, especially considering how tragic the subject matter is. So, what

else could we talk about then? The way I see it we still have about an hour or two to waste here before it gets dark out." Amy

observed, as she eagerly awaited a conversation topic from Cosmo to re-fuel another discussion. Despite how terrible the

earlier subject was, Amy enjoyed expressing her views, even when she probably shouldn't.

"Well... actually I could use your advice..." Cosmo asked shyly, rubbing her feet along the ground and avoiding eye contact.

Amy knew almost instinctively what it was she wanted advice for.

"This is about Tails isn't it?" Amy asked, slightly shocking Cosmo as she suddenly made full eye contact with Amy. Her face

turned beet red for a second as she blushed a little, Amy noticed. This didn't surprise Amy much; she was usually a bit shy

when discussion came to her feelings about Miles. It didn't help matters that he was even shyer than she was about their

relationship. Amy was jarred out of her thought process as Cosmo asked her for confirmation that she was alright. "Guess I

kind of blanked out there." Amy stated, scratching her head as they both giggled a bit.

"So, what is it you need help with Cosmo? You can just call me cupid for today." She added with a lighthearted wink.

"Well, I just have a hard time... expressing my feelings for him... I don't know if he feels the same way I do. I think I was close

to kissing him today. He was nervous about something; though I'm not very sure his nervousness was over his feelings for me

because this event happened right before you barged in..." Cosmo explained with a tender shyness to her that made her all

the more endearing. "Not that I don't enjoy your company!" Cosmo suddenly corrected herself as she realized she had slightly

insulted Amy. She had a look of sincere regret over what she had said. Amy waved away her concerns.

"You don't have to worry about it... I think I should be the one apologizing. I was being a jerk to you today and I'm sorry for my

behavior. I was just nervous, and when I'm nervous I tend to get agitated and say things I don't mean." Amy briefly explained,

obviously wanting some kind of apology acceptance speech from Cosmo.

"Hey, don't worry about it, we all have our quirks I suppose. Really, I sincerely appreciate your company. You can be a bit...

brash... at times but it doesn't affect the way I feel about you. So ummm... apology accepted Amy." Cosmo responded warmly,

Amy had to hand it to her. If there was one thing Cosmo was good at it was making others feel better about themselves, even

if she herself had confidence issues.

"Well, for your concern that you think maybe Tails doesn't feel the same way you do. I'm positive he does, he always seems

more cheerful when he's around you then if he was around anybody else. He was also completely devastated by your death,

which I don't really want to bring up again. The problem I see is that you two are both incredibly shy. When it comes to

expressing your feelings you both have a tendency to hide them. I'm guessing out of misplaced embarrassment or

nervousness. But all my words will come to nothing if you yourself do not attempt to bury your various insecurities. I know this

must be difficult for you, but after all that testimony and evidence…" Amy made a pause as she picked her next words carefully;

Cosmo was listening to the hedgehog girl's advice intently. "So the way I see it, just… flat out ask him one of these days how

he feels about you." Amy asked of Cosmo as kindly as she could.

"It's just my nature… I'm terribly shy. To the point where I can't even ask him how he feels about me in general. I try; I really

do… remember when I remarked earlier about how I thought we almost kissed? I was so nervous then, and that feeling of

uncertainty pervades me. I will attempt to explain my feelings to him, but just thinking about it…" Cosmo began to tear up;

deeply saddened by her own inability to explain her feelings to the man she cared about. Amy put a comforting hand on her

shoulder, as Cosmo looked up to her. Tears flew down Cosmo's face, as Amy began to think up a solution to her problem.

"Maybe I could try to convince Tails later on to ask you about your feelings. That way since you like him, and he most certainly

likes you. It will spare the embarrassment of those little awkward moments you two have." Amy offered with a wry smile over

her solution to Cosmos dilemma.

"REALLY? Wow that would be great!" Cosmo beamed as she hugged Amy in response over the hedge-hog's generous offer.

Her tears stopped flowing as she was gripped by a new feeling of joy.

"Thanks a lot for your help on this Amy. But, is there anything I could do to help yourself and Sonic get together?" Cosmo

asked, trying to find a way to repay this debt of kindness she felt she now owed Amy.

"Ah, don't worry about Sonic and myself. One of these days he's going to open up to me... he just has too." Amy expressed,

Cosmo could faintly detect that she was beginning to doubt herself. Cosmo supposed she could understand Amy's insecurities

about Sonic. He was always firmly adamant in his dislike of her. To the point where now even Amy's almost bottomless

optimism on the situation was beginning to wear thin. Cosmo didn't even know if she should try to reignite Amy's love of Sonic,

because she herself was beginning to wonder if Sonic really cared for her or not. Amy would bring up how Sonic saved her from

Metal Sonic some years ago, but wouldn't Sonic save anyone from the clutches of Eggman anyway? Cosmo decided to remain

zip lipped on the question, and instead opted for changing the subject away from Amy's numerous relationship woes.

"Well, why don't we try one of these new rides?" Cosmo inquired innocently, trying her hardest to change the subject. Amy

didn't respond she looked rather distant to the Seedrian girl. Cosmo thought she could make a pretty accurate guess of what

Amy was thinking. Most of her past five years of life had been in various attempts to force Sonic into liking her. Cosmo began to

wonder what would happen if it was revealed that Sonic never liked Amy, that his stances were completely serious. She didn't

want to think about that possibility, distinct as it was. To realize that after so long and trying so hard... she couldn't bear to

think what kind of strain that could put on any person. Strong-willed as Amy was on the outside, on the inside Cosmo knew

how deep-rooted her feelings were.

"I'm sorry Cosmo, I was just... thinking. No big deal really..." Amy half muttered, her eyes still possessing that same distant

look upon them. 

"Are you sure? You look a bit... distant." Cosmo asked with a large degree of concern lining her tone.

"You're kind, but I don't want to burden you with my troubles. Let's just have some fun here, eh?" Amy responded, a smirk

lining her face.

"Alright, I won't intrude on your business. If you need me all you have to do is ask." Cosmo replied with

compassion.

"Ah, don't worry Cosmo. I'm already hatching another plan to trick Sonic into marrying me." Amy replied with a severely forced,

reassuring, chuckle. The Seedrian girl laughed with good humor at her revelation. "Maybe you should go find Tails, eh? Put my

advice to good use, and if that fails, later, I'll see what I can do." Amy remarked, trying to find a way to be left alone for the

time being. Cosmo was hesitant for a minute, running through Amy's advice in her mind again and again.

"Ok, I'll take your advice and find Miles then, it seems I was so caught up in our conversation I didn't notice that Miles and Sonic

had parted ways. When I find him, I will use your advice to explain to him how I feel, hopefully unburdened by my shy

tendencies. If you want, I could get Sonic for you." Cosmo offered, which Amy promptly waved away.

"Really, don't worry about it; I'll get to Sonic at my own pace. Just have fun ok? By the way, don't mention what I said about

Mile's…depression… I don't think he wanted you to know too much of it. I think he's worried you're opinion of him would change

if you knew, so try to act casually around him ok?"

"Alright then, don't worry. I won't say anything about our discussion. My opinion of him hasn't changed, I still like him. Together

we can ride some rollercoasters' or something, and have some fun while were here!" Cosmo exclaimed as she ran off to find

Miles amongst the crowd.

Amy gave a sigh when Cosmo was safely out of hearing distance. The Seedrian girl's kindness and willingness to help others,

while not unwanted, could get a bit tiring. Alone in her own thoughts now, she wondered about her position in life. Was her

almost blind love of Sonic the best plan of action? She wished she knew what Sonic really felt, but already she knew that for all

of her abilities, telepathy was not one of them. Not knowing was the worst, sometimes she wondered if maybe it would be

better if Sonic flat out told her what he thought. He always dodged the question and she realized his evasiveness was tiring as

well. Yet still, despite all of her inner turmoil, she knew why she loved him. His boldness and love of adventure, excited her.

Whenever Eggman managed to kidnap her through his own underhanded means, Sonic was there to save her. While Amy did

not like in the least the damsel in distress role she was seemingly ordained, every time Sonic saved her seemed to bring them

both just that tiny bit closer together. He was almost perfect, at least in her mind's eye. Remembering what it was that fueled

her drive to become Sonic's girl-friend made her feel a lot better. "Instead of standing here feeling sorry for myself, I should

actively do something to _force_ him to like me." Amy thought, grinning in anticipation. She ran off looking to find Sonic, no matter

the cost. Her old, fiery, persistence on forcing Sonic to marry her, once again driving her to action.

Meanwhile, Cosmo had succeeded in tracking down Miles. He was currently engaged in attempting to win the wooden ring

toss, and failing miserably. Three bottles stood elevated on a long table at the end of a ten foot space in the middle,

presumably there for challenge. The problem was it seemed no matter how well he tossed the wooden rings; they never

connected with a single bottles neck. To the side of the table the games vendor was standing, obviously agitated at the many

futile attempts of his current customer. "Maybe you should try something else, eh? Come on man, this is your seventh attempt

let someone else have a try!" The vendor asked him, almost in pleading as Miles revved up to try again. He came to win, and

win he would. Even if it took him all night, the little stuffed animal prize was going to be his for the taking. The fox

concentrated, eying the various targets carefully. After some time formulating a plan based on trajectories and velocity, he let

loose a triumphant, hopeful ring. His hope turned to dust quickly, as the wooden ring rather clumsily sailed into a trash bucket

located to the side of the table.

"Not too good at this are you?" Cosmo asked him as she stealthily sneaked up on him, causing him to jump and drop the other

two rings he had been holding. The largest ring happening to fall directly on his invention, it continued its process of beeping;

the device quite oblivious to the presence of the rather heavy wooden ring straddled precariously on its form. Miles snatched

the ring from his creation, returning them to the vendor. He then turned to face Cosmo, who was grinning rather sheepishly.

"Cosmo, jeez don't sneak up on me like that." Miles lightly scolded as she laughed at her own little practical joke.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. The air in this place is just... exciting I suppose." Cosmo offered as a slightly flimsy excuse to her

recent foray into the realm of jump-scares. They both began to walk off as new customers swarmed in to fill the void left by

their absence.

"Hey! You come back now though, ok? Just practice with your arm and remember that it's not about calculations, ok!?" The

vendor shouted out to Miles before his little game table was swarmed with the influx of new customers.

"You're quite good at the ring toss." Cosmo jokingly teased as they walked along a little path, apparently deserted by most.

The maintenance on the road was almost nonexistent, red bricks buckled directly beneath their feet from the sudden

application of weight and pressure. Yet the path offered some solitude from the chaos of the park. Various floras adorned the

sides of the path, sure the flowers and plants were almost all dead but, it was a nice little effort.

"Eh, the born loser I guess." Miles replied after some thought, laughter oddly absent from his reply.

"Hey! I didn't mean that! You're just really good at different things, and ring tossing doesn't happen to be one of them." Cosmo

clarified, attempting to explain her earlier comment.

"Ah, you don't have to explain yourself; I can see what you meant. I just don't understand, I calculated the trajectories, that

ring should have landed on the bottles neck." Miles mused, intrigued at his failure to solve the problem using his considerable

intelligence. They walked along in silence for a minute or so as Cosmo collected her thoughts into a reply.

"Well, I think that means not every problem can be solved with intelligence, maybe another tact would be useful such as brute

strength or cunning." Cosmo offered as an answer. "That really didn't make much sense did it? How I went off into cunning and

brute strength involved in a game of ring toss?" Cosmo added with a chuckle after a short lull in the conversation following her

earlier comment.

"No, its fine, I was just thinking you're probably right, I might just not have the arm for successful ring tossing. Though, if I may

be a bit pompous for a second, I would take my I.Q. over the arm any day." Miles stated with a playful smirk.

"Hey Miles, what would you say would be my best trait? Everyone knows yours is intelligence, I often wonder what mine may

be." Cosmo inquired, somewhat nervously as she eagerly awaited his opinion.

"Well, I think you're best trait would have to be you're compassion and kindness towards others." Miles stated, Cosmo gave a

light blush in response his answer.

"Ya, you are right, thank you. I have often thought that would be my best trait, and to hear it re-affirmed by yourself eases me

greatly." Cosmo replied, with a respectful bow.

"You don't have to bow, I'm just glad I could help out. I have noticed with some slight chagrin, that due to my technical

prowess, I'm usually delegated to equipment maintenance and creation in times of battle. Though, I have kicked Eggman's ass

a few times, especially on the ARK." Miles noticed with some pride in this accomplishment of his.

"The ARK... I have heard of that place often. I have never really thought to ask much of it. What was on that space station?"

Cosmo asked, awaiting a tale of some kind from Miles.

"Well, all we found was one anal retentive, pissed off, hedgehog it seems." Tails responded, laughing out loud at his own

description of Shadow.

"MILES!" Cosmo reprimanded him, completely serious about her question.

"Ok, ok, jeez... try to lighten the mood." Miles sighed, a bit hurt at the reaction his description had garnered.

"I'm, sorry I didn't mean to be hurtful. I just wanted to know and I didn't account for your feelings. I'm just a bit stressed lately.

I have tried to hide it, but I guess it showed there." Cosmo explained with a slight chagrin on her part.

"What's happening that's making you stressed? I'm here for you, if you have any problems." Miles sympathized with her,

completely sincere in his statement. Cosmo gave a sigh as she stopped walking, lost in her own thoughts. Her form

exhibiting a kind of sorrowful mourning that showed whenever she was deeply worried about something. The small path they

had been walking yielded, as if by some great chance, a relatively clean bench they could use. They both sat down on the

bench, which surprisingly enough supported their combined weight without buckling. Miles began to worry a little about

what kind of stress was plaguing Cosmo's mind. Eventually she began to speak.

"I have been thinking of what you said, of the insanity of Eggman. I'm worried; it has always been his first strike. We have

never attacked him without good reason. Every time he has an opportunity to hit us first, is another opportunity for death."

Cosmo finished her short, emotional monologue. She gave a short sigh as she began to think, searching for the right words to

adequately explain her feelings. Miles patiently waited, giving Cosmo the time necessary for her to sift through her thoughts.

"I just can't take the stress. Knowing that each day brings with it, whispers of an untimely death. I suppose I shouldn't be

worried so much about myself, as we should be worried about Sonic. I won't say I know how he truly feels. However when

I hear him speak, he has a tendency to wave away the threat Eggman poses. In the end, as terrible as this thought may be, I

keep thinking his downfall may stem from his own carefree nature."

"No, you're wrong. I spoke today to Sonic, and he understands just as well as we do the great threat Eggman poses."

"If he does understand the threat, why does he hide it? What purpose can be accomplished by veiling ones true emotions and

feelings? Especially around ones friends. I guess I just feel a little... betrayed that he would tell you and not Amy or myself."

"I won't say I know how Sonic's mind works. His brain is a complex piece of machinery that I won't even begin to delve into.

However, I will say that he doesn't like to show his weaknesses or fears to others. It's just how he operates, I think so that

we are not worried. Every crack or joke he makes about a bad situation, I believe, masks the fact that he too is scared or

frightened. He probably upholds this kind of care free nature because he is more or less, the leader of our little group. With

that heavy responsibility he feels the need to hide his fears so we too may feed off his false confidence. That false confidence

enables us to do things we would not be able to do if we were shaking in our boots. A clever tactic I think to boost morale in

bad situations." Miles helpfully added, Cosmo thought pensively for a while. She was busy absorbing all of the things Miles had

said about Sonic, in a way Sonic's purported thinking made some semblance of sense to her.

"I understand, Miles you seem to have a way of just… reading people you know? Though, you are very humble about that

talent. I feel a little bad actually, just talking about Sonic when he's not here to challenge or defend his viewpoints. Still, I need

to know what Sonic truly feels about Amy. The stress that his indifference is causing that poor girl is becoming a truly sad thing.

Though Amy is strongly attempting to mask her true emotions, she desperately needs to know whether Sonic cares for her."

Cosmo started, tearing up a little. The tear drop beginning it's long and slow descent down her cheek.

"Please don't cry, I can understand how you feel about this. As to your query, I'm afraid I don't know what feelings Sonic may

have for Amy. I can't read minds, I can only make fairly accurate guesses, but on this matter... all I know is that Sonic is

preventing himself from taking on relationships because he is worried about Eggman. Even if we were to defeat Eggman, I

don't know if Sonic would fall for Amy or perhaps somebody else. I know this information isn't very helpful, but it's all I have to

tell you for the time being." Miles concluded shrugging his shoulders as an indication he really had no idea.

"I see, well I hope we can defeat Eggman soon then. That way Sonic can finally reveal whether he is endeared to Amy… or not.

But... I have a question..." Cosmo stuttered, beginning her habit of avoiding eye contact and shuffling her feet.

"Yes?" Miles asked intrigued, wondering what question could bring about such a nervous reaction from her. It was now or

never, Cosmo thought as she struggled to pull her thoughts into a coherent sentence. Cosmo remembered what Amy had said

to her, about how it looked like she would have to instigate a conversation on their relationship. She battled her shyness, her

tendency to avoid chances of failure.

"Do... I mean... umm... Have you... uhh... fallen..." Cosmo slurred her speech considerably, realizing she was sweating a bit.

Every time she would come close to asking him, that mental image of him lying in a pool of his own blood would pop-up in her

head. She had managed to block such an image from appearing when she had first talked to Miles over at the ring toss vendor.

In a way she had even forgotten about Amy's story for a time, but now the image, and all that it meant, forced itself to the

forefront of her delicate mind. She couldn't shake the image out of her head; it remained in all its brutal glory. Just thinking

about the terrible mental image made her feel that much worse.

"Ummm no... I haven't fallen, listen Cosmo are you ok? You look like you might have a bit of a fever." Miles sympathetically

noted, with great concern in his voice. His concern made Cosmo feel worse, as if she had just been hurt and he was now

comforting her. However, she had not been hurt; she was desperately trying to explain her feelings for him. To garner such a

reaction over her futile attempts to explain her love combined with the fact it was basically, her fault he had attempted suicide

was unbearable. That thought hit her like a brick, it was her fault. She tried to come up with an excuse for her own death, but

they all felt hollow. She knew she had to stop Dark Oak, but to realize her sacrifice caused Miles so much pain. Was there some

other way? Had she truly been too drastic in her attempts to destroy that monster? These thoughts all bubbled in her head,

the regret she felt. All these thoughts were threatening to destroy her emotionally, were she was weakest. She couldn't go on

like this, realizing her failure as she aborted the mission.

"No... I'm just uh... a bit sweaty from... how much fun we're having..." Cosmo finished, she backed down. As if in mocking, her

earlier notions disappeared. The suicidal mental image left her mind; as did the numerous other worries that had sprung up

just in time to thwart her goal. Of course she knew they would just re-appear the next time she tried to explain herself. Such

was her nature, and the thought made her all the more depressed. One's nature was almost impossible to change, especially

when it was so deep-rooted into ones psyche, as it was in her extreme case.

"Well, would you like to try a coaster?" Miles asked Cosmo, painfully oblivious to her myriad of emotional problems.

"Uhh... sure, lead the way." Cosmo accepted nervously, and as she walked along with him, she felt terrible. Knowing she had

failed yet again. She walked slightly behind him, as she began to silently cry over the fact that she could not summon the

courage nor willpower necessary to tell this man, she loved him.

Meanwhile, as Cosmo grappled with her self-confidence problems, Amy continued on her hunt for Sonic. Finding Sonic took her

a long while, even with his unique appearance the sheer amount of people in the park made finding most anyone difficult.

Eventually however, she found her target; Sonic was waiting in the line to the new "Doom Drop" ride. A three-hundred foot

high vertical drop, the kind of ride that made Amy queasy just watching others attempt the attraction. The line was actually

fairly short, most of the people in Twinkle Park being too afraid to even attempt getting on such a ride. Nonetheless, Amy

thought nothing of cutting past others so she may be closer to her future beau. She easily shrugged off their low murmurs of

disapproval as she stood in line strategically behind Sonic. "Hello, say... what dress would you prefer I wear on our wedding

day? I know it's supposed to be white, but I'm perfectly willing to... defy convention." Amy asked him with a subtle smirk.

"AMY! Uhhh... hello to you too." Sonic replied, shocked as Amy suddenly made her presence known, immediately he spun

around to face her. A bit lost for words, though he did expect Amy to actively seek him out eventually. He was about to express

a sarcastic remark in reply, but then he remembered that Mile's had asked him to be nice to her.

"That's all you have to say? In case you have had a lapse between the words dress and convention, you would know that I

had asked a question and received a statement in reply." Amy cleverly responded, as Sonic attempted to avoid this particular

conversation.

"So, uhh… how are you doing lately? I never really had a chance to talk with you outside."

"Don't you worry lover-boy, I intend to converse with you. All day if need be..." Amy stated, warping his question into a kind of

veiled threat.

"Aren't I just the luckiest man alive?" Sonic stated with no attempt to hide the sarcasm that lined those words. Inwardly he hit

himself, despite how annoying she could be, he didn't know for sure what kind of impact his verbal barbs couldbe having on her

psyche. Mile's words still rang loudly in his head.

"You sure are..." Amy calmly responded with some undertones of venom lining voice.

"Listen Amy, now might not be the best time for this kind of conversation." The line moved up as they both took a few steps

forward, well Sonic took a few steps backward technically. Amy however, took a few steps forward more than necessary.

"And why would that be?" Amy asked, she was almost in his face now as Sonic realized he had nowhere to run too if need be.

Her glimmering green eyes seemed to express her conviction, and he knew that if he attempted escape… she owned a

hammer.

"I'm waiting for an answer Sonic..." Amy informed him with some degree of annoyance in her tone.

"Well, uhh..." Sonic thought, scrambling for an answer of some kind. He took a quick look back at the longevity of the line, and

realized with some horror that thirteen people were still ahead of him.

"Would you prefer I answer for you Sonic? I think you may have a good idea what my response would be." Amy announced

with a snicker, as she inched ever closer to him. They were almost nose to nose now, and Sonic could see with some

displeasure that Amy didn't look like she was going to back off anytime soon. The line moved up a few steps. Sonic took this

time to attempt to clear some distance between Amy and him. His efforts were to no avail as Amy easily bridged the gap he

had made and they were once again nose to nose. "Trying to get away from me are you? Why don't you just accept the fact

we were made for each other? This is after all our first date. The very first stepping stone to marriage…" Her pink quills brushed

along Sonic's face as he tried to stammer out some kind of retort, ignoring the voice in his head advising him not to say

anything too drastic.

"Listen Amy... I don't like you that way." Sonic stated informatively, Amy's reaction was immediate and emotional. She began to

tear up as she violently broke away from him.

"YOURE NOTHING BUT AN ASS SONIC!" Amy cried out as she began to run away. Instinctively the people who were waiting a

long with them in the line turned towards the sign of the conflict.

"Wait Amy! I didn't mean it like that!" Sonic shouted, and to his shock, he began to realize that he really hadn't meant his

response like that. For some reason he felt, like he truly did care. It was if he had been hiding his feelings for so long, even he

didn't know what they contained. As if Amy's sudden outburst of pained sadness and rage had broken this barrier he had

painstakingly erected to surround his emotions. He felt it, a tremor inside him, as if he had said the exact opposite of how he

felt about her. The many emotions he was experiencing now were hard for him to explain. All he knew was that he had to help

her. That he needed to help her. He began to run after her, desperately hoping it wasn't too late.

Amy didn't care for Sonic's words at the moment; she just wanted to be alone. She could feel tears trailing down her face, the

sadness and hurt she felt then was too much for her to bear. "Why?" She thought as she escaped her own imagined jeers and

taunts of others. "What must I do for him to love me like I love him? Why must I suffer like this?" She knew in her heart she

had no answer. She ran away, away from Sonic. She didn't care where she ended up as long as it was far away from him.

Eventually the screams and cheers of the populace within Twinkle Park died out as she realized she was finally alone. The once

bright and cheery amusements now seemed imposing and terrifying from her distance as she stopped running. She put her

heads in her arms and wept. Saddened at how Sonic had so callously tossed away her emotions.

She wondered why Sonic had to be kind, yet so cruel. As if she didn't matter at all, only there to serve as some optimistic idiot.

She was beginning to wish she had lost the poker game, to avert his gaze for months. "Some first date... everything was

supposed to go perfectly. I suppose I didn't factor in the one tiny little detail… Sonic doesn't care about me..." Even as she

thought this, she broke down again. Her eyes reddened from her weeping, her face wet with tears that offered her nothing but

the ability to show others that she cried out for some kind of companionship. The tears flew silent, oblivious, to her pains. "Who

would think that... tears could also be so hurtful?" Amy wondered, as she wiped the callous offenders off her face. Her small

hands now wet, with her own tears of sadness and despondency.

Then she heard it, slow, cautious, footsteps behind her. She slowly turned around, expecting to see some thug. Sonic stood

behind her, his face etched with worry and fear.

"What do you want? Haven't you done enough? Have you come to gloat? Have you come to apologize? I don't

want to hear your shallow words of pity. Leave me!" Amy shouted commandingly at Sonic, who did nothing but shuffle his feet

in reply. "Do you expect me to forgive you for just showing up? For everything to be just fine and da-" Amy gasped in surprise

as Sonic suddenly closed the distance between them, and to her complete shock held her. "Wha... Sonic?" She stammered out

in disbelief, he didn't reply. His actions having expressed his emotions far better than any words he could have possibly said.

Her earlier hate dissipated quickly in Sonic's loving embrace. Amy's tears slid onto him now as she found herself grasping him in

turn. Clutching him close to her, as if he was some cherished family heirloom she would never part with. She cried on his

shoulders, her eyes redder still. In this small instant, she felt loved. As if she did matter, as if her years of effort in failed

attempts to get noticed had finally worked out in her favor.

"I'd prefer… pink actually..." Sonic whispered in her ear, it took Amy only a second to realize what he was referring to.

"Rea- really?" Amy asked him, her tears shifting quickly into tears of joy.

"I'm sorry Amy; sorry I wouldn't say anything before. I was afraid, afraid of Eggman, afraid of myself. Would you accept my

apology?" Sonic was tearing up himself now, Amy could tell he was completely sincere. She didn't respond, instead opting to

clutch him more tightly. "Would you like to ride the Doom Drop with me?" Sonic offered her; Amy was silent for a moment.

"You mean like... a date?"

"Yes, like a date..." Sonic replied, smiling re-assuringly to ease her noticeable nervousness.

"I-I would... l-love too..." Amy stammered out as Sonic let go of her. They both walked back, side by side. Amy grasped his

hand, and to her joy he held her hand back. Sonic having destroyed the barriers surrounding his feelings, and Amy having been

the one those feelings had been garnered for all along. Amy let out a smile; this was just the beginning she had imagined to

the perfect date of her dreams. Sonic smiled back, as they proceeded to begin their first official date. Both ready for whatever

the future held for them.


	9. Twilight Dawn

The moon was pale, as it lingered above the sleepy skyline of Station-Square. Far above the lights and commotion of the city,

it floated above. A majestic sight to be sure. Various craters stemming from the many asteroids that had battered the moons

lunar surface over the years dotted the moon's surface. Yet even in its splendor, it was only a half-moon. Destined to remain

no more than that, Eggman's insanity decimated half of its surface years ago in one of his egomaniacal feats of splendor. The

dark side of the moon hid its unsightly scar. Molten lava once swam freely in the gaping wound, but without oxygen, it was a

short-lived joy-ride. Now all that remained of the terrible incident was the aforementioned scar. High above the skies, the

moon wandered. The small satellites own silent seclusion, combined with its hideous disfigurement, normally afforded it little

thought or attention from the people below. Yet, today it was noticed, such a beautiful sight. The moon's unsightly scar lay

invisible to the few people who were still awake to revoke a moment of its former glory. Such quiet serenity the moon seemed

to afford that night, reflecting the hopes and feelings of Station Squares populace that day. What an odd time for the moon to

appear so cheerful and bright, ironic in a way. Such cheerfulness, blanketing what would otherwise have been a severely

somber day. With not a cloud in sight, the moon continued its rare show of pompous glory. One of the few rare chances to be

discerned by the myriads of citizens below, the moon wasted no time, the satellites newfound confidence helping light the city

below.

On the roof of an abandoned apartment complex nearby Twinkle Park, Steve waited in silence. Grey concrete expounded the

entire surface, cracking noticeably in some places. Behind him, a solitary elevator jutted from the dark concrete. The

Apartment was only about two or three stories high, affording an excellent view of the surrounding area. Arms folded in

defiance, his gaze permeated throughout the small plaza below him. He took a short, criticising glance at the moon, noting its

splendor.The moon in response, cast a lovely limelight on his form. Yet even the lovely moon could not disengage the figure

from his thoughts, noting its failure the moon shifted its gaze. The once brilliant light that had bathed his form, now replaced

with a murky darkness. Steve gave a smirk, preferring the near-invisibility of the shadows to the all-revealing light. Boredom

enveloped him, as it had done so many a time in his wandering years. To his chagrin, his mind wandered, as it was apt to do

when he was bored. There he stood a watch-man of sorts, an angel in black. He grimaced at the thought, himself, an angel.

Such an absurdity, yet in an odd way that notion was true. He snapped his mind back to the arduous task at hand he needed

to concentrate today.

His journey was near its end, he needed to be wary. He knew very well, how plans never worked completely as expected.

The fact there had been nary a hitch in his many wandering years, put him on edge. The few hitches there had been were

minor at best, easily solved with either lightly applied persuasion, or means that were more brutal. He fumbled his fingers

clumsily in the cloaks left pocket, after some time he brought his hand back up to his inquisitive eyes. The clenched fist held

the dull, grayish, ring he had managed to obtain from the late Walter. He held it up to the discerning moon, which cast a faint

ray of moonlight on the ring. The ring glowed faintly from the application of light to its form. He had almost forgotten his

biggest hurdle, the uncharged ring. He examined the object meticulously in his hand, trying to find some way to error his

earlier diagnosis of the problem. Finding none, he swore inwardly, slipping the ring back neatly into the cloaks pocket. The

ring problem, while annoying, was still only a minor nuisance. While it would take him at least seven years to re-charge the

ring, that was a small price to pay for his eventual reward.

He snapped back to reality once again, realizing he had been neglecting his other, far more important, duty. He re-

concentrated his gaze in the general direction of Twinkle Park. He had to remain alert. The slightest deviation to his plan now

could ruin his meticulously crafted plot. Everything had to be perfect. Therefore, he waited, silent and morose. Awaiting his

destiny, in hopes it was kind.

Below the roof, within the apartment's interior, the hit-men waited as well. Behind the grimy and rusted door to room "314",

they both waited in rather muted silence. Broken floorboards lined the room, criss-crossed and splintered. The peeling white

paint on the cracking walls greatly enhanced the general atmosphere of decay that permeated throughout the dingy room.

The only piece of furniture in the room was a musty, old, rotten wood table, infested by termites. The table was located near

the entrance to the door, and the men had noticed earlier with some revulsion the termites had made a nest in the walls as

well. A lone, musty, boarded up window blessed the north wall. Small dabbles of moon light made their way through cracks in

the wood, softly illuminating the rifle that barely managed to jut out of a thin space in the boards.

Two strong and callous hands grasped the rifle, as a lone eye peeked through the rifle's scope, gazing at the city below. The

populace had thinned considerably since his target had entered Twinkle Park, and he was glad about that. The fewer

witnesses the better. The constant pressure of remaining in one spot constantly observing, was beginning to tire him greatly.

His eyes twitched noticeably, itching crazily from the sweat that had begun to exude from his pores. He was determined to

make this shot; he did not care for the consequences. Such is the folly of youth.

On an opposite wall his partner sat, legs crossed as he awaited a signal. "Robert, how are you holding up?" The man asked

as he revealed the name of his partner.

"Damn this is tiring, aside from that I'm alright Ben." The assassin named Robert declared in reply, his fingers fidgeting over

the trigger on his rifle.

"Remember the plan Robert! One shot and we're out!" Ben reminded his partner, who rolled his eyes noticeably in reply.

"Ya, ya ok I got it. Don't worry so much Ben; you'll give yourself grey hairs." Robert stated, as he continued his designated

task of scoping out the target. The lone man named Ben gave a sigh; he had not wanted Robert to take the shot. Yet if there

was one thing Ben had learned about Robert, he was persistent. They had both been friends for years, perhaps out of

necessity, and in that time, Ben had learned a lot about Robert. One of Robert's biggest fault's being, his rash style of

decision-making. While Ben knew how bone-headed Robert could be at times, Ben also knew he himself did not have the

heart to shoot their target. Sonic, the world famous hero, and self-proclaimed speed demon. To murder such a good-hearted

man, went against all the few flimsy principles Ben had managed to attain over the years. He had caved in to Robert's

demand quickly, knowing if given the chance he would spare Sonic's life. Yet, he supposed greed clouded his mind as much as

it had his partners. They both needed money, and this was the easiest way he knew how to get massive amounts of cash

quickly. So, despite his various grievances against such a course of action, he had agreed to this plan.

Robert gave a shout. "They have left Twinkle Park!" Ben snapped quickly out of his thought process.

"Do not shoot yet!" Ben replied, as he quickly lunged over to Roberts's position. Sure enough, Sonic had left the building. The

streets various light sources, illuminating him as he walked along the sidewalks. The other three that had entered with him

were also present; Ben noted with some degree of dismay .The general area was almost deserted, some cars still rolled

along noisily through the streets. However, after a short while even those were gone. A testament to how late it had gotten

since their arrival. The many people who had been inside Twinkle Park flooded out of the building much earlier than Sonic and

his posse had. Ben winced when he realized how completely at ease they all appeared, two of the target's friends' appearing

in shock over something another had said. He remembered quickly why he would not have been able to accomplish the task

asked of him.

"I got a good shot lined up here Ben." Robert suddenly proclaimed, snapping Ben out of his thoughts.

"No, not yet, let's see if they split up. It will make our task that much easier." Ben commanded, holding his hand to the loaded

rifle, preventing Robert from making a shot. They both stood in a sort of morbid silence, awaiting the right moment to unleash

their deadly bullet on an unsuspecting victim.

"Wait a second… YOU TWO ARE DATING?" Miles exclaimed in surprised shock, both Cosmo and Miles were greatly surprised by

the news, as they all walked slowly along home. Amy gave an affirmation, as she lightly rested her head on Sonic's shoulders.

"Sure are! I knew he could not resist me forever. Could you?" Amy lovingly teased as Sonic gave a chuckle in reply.

"I'm afraid not Amy, in the end you got me. Don't you worry though; I'll find a way to sneak out of this eventually." Sonic

replied, teasing Amy back.

"Hey! That's not even funny!" Amy pouted, as she dis-engaged herself from Sonic's shoulders. They all laughed good-

humouredly at that revelation. Even Amy, much to her chagrin, managed to crack a smile over the joke, as Sonic grinned

mischievously. He turned back as they continued their trek home.

"Ummm, Sonic? You may want to watch out… because Amy is holding her hammer… and she seems to have a…rather, ummm

murderous gaze…" Cosmo declared rather cautiously, after she had taken a quick glance back. Sonic turned around slowly,

and saw that Cosmo's proclamation was true. Amy began to chase Sonic, as he ran for his life.

"Cmonnn! I just want to talk to youuu!" Amy taunted with a laugh, as she continued chasing her new boy friend through the

alleyways and streets.

"Is this how you win friends and influence people!?" Sonic shouted in retort, as he quickly managed to dodge a hammer

strike. That little incident greatly enhanced his motivation to continue speeding away from Amy, and also answered his earlier

question.

"Maybe so, come a bit closer and you'll find out!" Amy replied with a grin, both Cosmo and Miles were cracking up over the

absurdity that was unfolding before them. They both weaved in and out of the general area, shouting various witticisms at

each other.

"Gee, Sonic has gotten a lot more… open with Amy hasn't he? I'm happy about that; I was very worried for her…" Cosmo

explained, turning around to face Miles. She was glad that the disturbing mental images had mostly left, and she could now

focus her mind clearly.

"Ya, I'm actually a bit surprised, what happened in Twinkle Park? Maybe some kind of mind control…" Miles jokingly replied, as

Cosmo emitted an unrestrained giggle in response.

"Wouldn't be too surprising now would it?" Cosmo replied in good humor, greatly relieved that she was still able to uphold a

conversation with Miles. Her earlier disastrous attempt at explaining her love still echoing faintly within her mind. Her

emotional wounds over the incident had healed somewhat, she would make another attempt later, she thought.

"It's nice to see you're fever seems to have dropped. I was a bit worried earlier; you're face looked a bit flushed. No problem

now though, right?" Miles asked with a cheerful smile, greatly relieved she appeared to be feeling better.

"Ya… of course…" Cosmo stated rather shyly, still somewhat saddened her earlier symptoms had been attributed to illness

instead of love.

"Are you sure, you don't seem very convince-"

"YES IM FINE!" Cosmo interjected angrily, reacting faster than her mind could think. Her scream of affirmation managed to

garner the attention of Sonic and Amy as well. She tried to choke back her words but it was too late, they were all staring in

her direction over her rare display of anger. She shuffled her feet nervously as she averted their prying eyes'. "Sorry…" She

mumbled haphazardly, trying to hide herself amongst the sea of grey concrete.

Sonic and Amy returned to the group as Cosmo walked behind Miles. Nobody said anything, but they were all wondering why

Cosmo had gotten angry. After some time in silence, Amy snuck back to speak with Cosmo. The Seedrian girl appeared deep

in thought as Amy whispered into her ear. "So… it didn't go well I suppose?" Amy asked softly, surprising Cosmo as she spun

around quickly to reply. Cosmo instantly knew what she was referring to, so clarification was not necessary.

"No… I suppose it showed there… I am just a bit disheartened that's all. Not a big deal…" Cosmo whispered in reply, reverting

to her old soft-spoken self.

"This is a big deal though; don't wave it away like it isn't Cosmo!" Amy retorted somewhat strongly, realizing she herself was

getting a bit irritated by Cosmo's habit of under-playing her problems.

"I wasn't waving it away! It's just… difficult; I don't want to burden you with my troubles, especially now that you have finally

managed to get Sonic to notice and appreciate you." Cosmo replied somewhat warmly, desperately trying to change the topic

of discussion. In any other circumstance, Amy would have fallen for that trick, but not now. Amy had to know what was

bothering Cosmo to such an extent that she was willing to go to the extreme of changing the subject to deflect her queries.

"Don't change the subject Cosmo… please. I'm your friend and I want you to know that I care about you, don't treat me like a

stranger." Amy informed Cosmo sweetly, as the Seedrian girl hid her head in shame. Amy put a comforting hand on Cosmo's

shoulder signaling it was all right, as she brought her head up to face Amy's gaze. Cosmo gave a wry smile as they both

continued walking along slightly behind both Sonic and Tails.

"You're right, I… just feel a bit bad. I wasn't able to tell Miles how I felt; it had more to do with me then him… I suppose… I'm

just a failure." Cosmo acknowledged dejectedly, her shoulders drooping as her eyes fluttered close. Cosmo had delved into a

state of great sorrow, her own instincts of self-blame kicking into high gear.

"You're not a failure, don't ever think that! You just seem to need some help with this matter; you remember my earlier offer

right? The offer still stands, and we could even start now if you so wished…" Amy offered reassuringly, trying her best to

dispatch the gloom that seemed to hover over her friend's head like a storm cloud.

"Thanks, I would like that. Yet, not today, perhaps we can try over the next weekend? I'm just a bit tired right now; I

sincerely appreciate what you are willing to do for me. Can we make this for next weekend then?" Cosmo asked, her earlier

gloom rapidly becoming replaced with her usual cheerfulness.

"Yes! Consider it a date…figuratively of course!" Amy ended with a laugh Cosmo politely chuckled as well. The ice now broken,

they both proceeded to chat quite amiably; a bit further ahead Sonic and Miles were starting their own discussion.

"Hey Tails, what's up?" Sonic asked Miles after he had gotten within hearing distance of his friend, the fox looked up at him in

surprise. His demeanor suggested he was thinking about something, and Sonic had interrupted that rather delicate train of

thought. "Busy?" Sonic asked Miles shook his head in acknowledgement.

"No, I'm not busy. I was just thinking, which seems to happen a lot now that you mention it." Miles light heartedly replied,

garnering a shrill chortle from Sonic.

"Yup, it sure does doesn't it? Thinking about Cosmo's earlier enraged statement?" Sonic inquired, expecting an interesting

conversation stemming from that topic of discussion.

"No… actually, I think she's just a bit stressed. That is understandable; I do not want to pry into her thoughts. Now that you

mention it, she was acting a bit odd inside Twinkle Park. I attributed it to fever, but maybe it was something else?" Miles

stated more to himself than Sonic. He scratched his head, searching for an answer. When none came to him, he shrugged his

shoulders in defeat. Sonic could think of some possible reasons, but decided it would be wiser to keep mum on the subject.

Lest his opinions turn out to be wrong, creating a substantial relationship rut between Miles and Cosmo. "I was thinking

about yourself and Amy actually. I have been pondering this question for a while now, what convinced you to become Amy's

boyfriend? To tell you the truth I thought you hated her; at least I did before our earlier conversation today. Why the sudden

change in heart?" Miles asked Sonic, in considerable confusion. His resuscitator seemed to match his emotions quite well at

that moment, spinning around him erratically, as was its nature.

"It's... hard to explain. Back in Twinkle Park I got mad at Amy, heeding your advice was a lot harder than I thought it would

be. She ran away from me, crying in despair. In that moment, it was like… it all clicked for me. Those barriers I had

constructed, they all faltered and fell. I think I realized then what I had always known, what I was too scared or arrogant to

admit. I love her Miles, that may come as a shock as of late, but it is the truth. After so many years of attempts, she finally got

to me. My only regret is that I was too arrogant and prideful to have noticed earlier, the wasted years. But now were

together, and while we may be a bit… terse with each other at times; I sincerely care for her and won't let anyone harm her

ever again." Sonic gritted his teeth in determination over his final words, obviously intensely serious about this. He took a

quick glance behind him, noting that Cosmo and Amy were also having a conversation about something.

"I think I understand, thanks for clearing that matter up for me. While it is still a little surprising in its suddenness, I suppose it

all makes sense." Miles declared, relieved that his pondering was over.

"It looks like Cosmo and Amy have finished their conversation as well. They're coming back up here." Sonic noted. True to his

word, a few moments later both Amy and Cosmo had shown up beside them. Amy squeezed in somewhat uncomfortably

between Sonic and Miles, while Cosmo strayed a few feet away from the gaze of Miles.

"Hey Miles, can I… umm… talk to you for a second?" Cosmo shyly inquired, turning her head to face him.

"Of course, if it's about earlier though don't worry about it. You didn't hurt my feelings or anything." Miles answered back, as

he strolled over to her slightly isolated area away from the rest of the group.

"Really? Oh, that's a relief. I am sorry about that, just tired. We did a lot today; I am about ready to conk out on the floor. But

enough about that, so… are you doing anything next week?" Cosmo asked, as slyly as she could muster. Amy had devised a

cunning plan to combat their respective shy tendencies, but it all hinged on if Cosmo could lure Miles away from his various

inventions and go out with her next Saturday.

"Well, I was going to try to work out the kinks with the resuscitator..." Miles stated informatively, grasping the machine that

was hovering around him to illustrate his point. The machine shocked him, as he loosened his grasp with a yelp. "OW! That

hurt! Its a good thing I was wearing my gloves today, man… my invention really does sting! You know this same incident

happened earlier today, this thing actually managed to shock Sonic earlier; he attempted to touch it even after I told him not

to. I have known about this problem for a while, but haven't actually ever gotten around to fixing it. Which is why I think a

good place for me to start tinkering on its structure would be in its electrical discharge rate. I never really intended for it to

shock people, it still has a few bugs to work out in its frame." Miles mused, as he observed with some annoyance how serene

the resuscitator looked just buzzing around his form, perfectly content.

"Hopefully not to market it… right? You know my feelings about this" Cosmo inquired sensitively, a bit hurt that Miles was still

tinkering on the invention after her earlier grievances.

"No! No, just to study the stone; it is such an amazing stone. Within this small rock, contains a sort of light healing mechanism

that when amplified could potentially heal major injuries even revive the dead. However, I have told you all this before, this

stone just excites my natural curiosity. Besides, it's a bit calming isn't it? I rather like it for all the frames imperfections; you

really need to see its brilliant glow when activated. Quite beautiful, if I may attribute such a feature to a rock." Miles finished,

sheepishly grinning over his last comment.

"You make it sound so remarkable; I suppose it's actually rather cute." Cosmo affirmed his statement in reply; the machine

seemed to beep in content over these kind words.

"Sometimes; it's like the device has a mind of its own." Miles shook his head and laughed as the machine began beeping and

booping, almost as if it was ecstatic over the attention it was receiving. Cosmo chuckled as well, as the machine zoomed

around Miles faster than its earlier orbit. Cosmo looked up and caught Miles gaze; their eyes seemed locked for a few

moments. It felt like an eternity to both of them. They both turned away from this loving gaze quickly, each blushing madly.

_I should tell her right now, those precious words I have recited in my head for months. I love you. _Miles thought, his own

bashfulness impeding his attempts to recite those words.

_Does he love me? He is blushing madly… but he turned away so quickly… I should just ask him. I mean, if he did not love me why _

_did he blush when our eyes me? Then again, if he did why did he turn away from it? Is he ashamed? Is he ashamed… of me? _

Cosmo wondered, her own self-doubts ravaging her mind. They both walked along in rather muted silence for a while, each

lost in their own thoughts. Cosmo broke the silence, uttering an invitation. "So will you come along with Amy and I to the

roller rink next Saturday?" Cosmo asked, carefully wording her query.

"Hmm? Oh ya! Sure! I can worry about my resuscitator later. A bit of fresh air every now and then would do well for my

general health." Miles hastily answered, the flushness of his cheeks having dimmed out earlier.

"So… you are you going to see the new Steven Spielberg movie?" Cosmo asked tentatively after a long lull in the

conversation, drumming up a topic for conversation. They both chatted amiably, as Sonic and Amy stealthily observed them

from afar.

"Well, I think Cosmo got Miles. Hook, line and sinker" Amy announced rather loudly with a snicker. Sonic replied with the

universal quiet sign. "Hehehe, sorry. " Amy whispered in reply, this time taking care not to raise an alert from the other two,

who were both so caught up in their conversation that they had not noticed Amy's earlier slip. "Just a bit excited, this is like

low-grade spy stuff ya know?"

"Ha, ya I feel like the low-rent version of James Bond. If I could think of a witty pun based on his name I would say it aloud,

alas I cannot at the moment." Sonic mused, as they both continued their small stakeout in hushed tones of voice. " I really

wonder sometimes what goes on inside Tail's big head. Why doesn't he notice Cosmo's blatently obvious infatuation? Is he

really that bad with women, or is he just dense? As intelligent as he is in the realms of technological marvels, he has an

almost crippling lack of relationship intuition." Sonic pointed out rather intelligently, jutting his fingers in the direction of Miles

to better illustrate his point.

"Well, I do seem to recall a certain someone also being incredibly dense. Mostly in the realm of noticing your's truly." Amy

expressed, a small bit of anger flaring in her tone.

"If I find this someone, I'll be sure to tell him." Sonic quipped sarcastically, Amy silently stewed at his somewhat callous

remark. In a way that was to be expected of him, the same old Sonic. The only noteworthy difference being his newfound love

of Amy. She supposed she liked him better that way, better that then some gooey-eyed romantic. In some odd way, she

figured she rather liked his callous and off-hand statement. The expected answer, sounded hollow to her now. So, she

decided to for give Sonic. Instead of bringing out the hammer, she plunged directly into her plan of action for hooking up Miles

and Cosmo.

"So anyway, I have devised a cunning plan to finally get those two love-birds together. Bring them both to the roller rink, and

set them both up with those roller-blades. Then its as simple as letting them roller off, I'll ask Miles later how he really feels.

Using a tape recorder I can tape his confirmation, then send it over to Cosmo who will hopefully be empowered enough by

the recording to finally admit her love to him! And then…" Amy trailed off, clasping her hands in a sort of dreamy state filled

with ecstatic glee. Pink hearts seemed to bounce off her body, normally this was the time Sonic began to back away quickly.

However, as it stood now he didn't mind her random bouts of supreme joy. In fact, he thought he might even learn to enjoy

them.

"So anyway, Tails and Cosmo's crippling lack of self-esteem non-withstanding…" Sonic began innocently, not realizing what a

potential mine-field his words had brought him too.

"SONIC!" Amy shouted in blind furor, her eyes turned a fiery tint as Sonic began to step away. That little comment went too

far with her, it was indeed, hammer-time.

"Wait! Uhh, Amy it was just a joke! Cmon I've known Tails for years, I was just being light hearted!" Sonic pleaded for mercy,

Amy grinned at him evilly. A wide toothy grin. Sonic didn't like that smile, luckily he was saved from whatever that smile

contained when Miles gave a shout from afar.

"Are you two alright? We could hear you both yelling all the way over here!"

"Of course we are!" Amy yelled in affirmation, wrapping one arm around Sonic's neck quickly in a mutual symbol of

camaraderie. They both chuckled rather weakly; Amy unhooked her arm from Sonic's neck as they both made a dash towards

Cosmo and Miles location. It didn't take them long to reach the others.

"Yes, we are both perfectly A-ok!" Amy revealed, putting on a cheery smile of reassurance.

"Hey, where's your other ring? I can only see the one!" Cosmo pointed out, Amy looked over her arms and realized that

Cosmo was telling the truth. Instinctively, Amy began to panic. Those weren't just ordinary rings; they were her lucky golden

rings! She began to shift her eyes in various directions, trying to catch a glimpse of that familiar golden glow somewhere on

the ground.

"How do you think you lost it?" Miles offered, trying his best to bring direction to this search.

"I don't know! Wait… When I was chasing Sonic earlier… I must have lost it then! It's probably back somewhere in front of

Twinkle Park! I'll go see if I can find it." Amy announced, however Sonic piped in with his own offer before she could begin her

frantic search.

"Let me find it, after all that's what boyfriends are for right?" Sonic expressed somewhat triumphantly.

"Once again, it seems I'm the archetypal damsel in distress. Oh well, go find my ring then hero!" Amy shouted rather

triumphantly with a small cheer, Sonic already beginning to run off, searching for the missing item.

Meanwhile, within the broken down apartment building, the two assassins were calling it a day. "Damn, if only he had been

alone!" Robert morbidly expressed, angry his dreams of wealth had been post-poned for another day.

"As it stands now there were too many witnesses, we'll get another chance later Robert. That's how this job goes sometimes,

patience Robert." Ben replied, trying to soothe the anger that was now emanating from Robert very pores. Robert was

beginning to pack way his rifle, when out of the corner of his eye he saw to his astonishment; Sonic.

"Wait a second Ben, Sonic's alone! I see him now! It looks like he's searching for something!" Robert shouted with glee to his

partner. Ben sprinted quickly over to Roberts's location, and confirmed his story.

"Okay then Robert, make the shot. I can't watch this though, so if you'll excuse me I'm going to go sit silently in the corner;

pondering the fate of all my morals and values while I'm at it." Ben dryly expressed, leaning against the creaky wall to the

opposite of Roberts position.

"Suit yourself Ben." Robert emotionlessly replied, setting his target in the rifle's scopes. He patiently awaited the right

moment to fire.

_Damn where is that ring?_ Sonic thought as he continued his fruitless search. He checked the alley-ways already, now the only

logical place he had not searched was at the fore-front of Twinkle Park. All he could see was an endless sea of grey concrete

before him, the flickering street lights not helping his search. _Wow, the moon looks rather good today. Fuck I hate Eggman. _Sonic

still remembered how Eggman had managed to blow a fairly sizeable chunk out of the moon a few years earlier. Suddenly, as

if in response to his kindly thoughts, moonlight began to pour over the area. In the glimmering luminescence, Sonic saw the

ring, glowing faintly in the newfound light. He made a dash for it, scooping it up cleanly in his hands. He appraised the ring

with his eyes, scanning it for dust which he wiped off rather easily with his hands. In the distance he could see Amy jumping

for joy, apparently having seen his triumph. In response to that he shoved his clenched fist into the air, the ring glowing

brightly in his out stretches hands. To his surprise, the ring fell out of his hands; hitting the grey floor with a small dink. He

quickly bent over to pick it up; an odd sound filled his ears just then. A distinctive sound, as if a gun of some sort had been

fired. His quills prickled in realization of what that sound was, leaping out of the way he quickly turned his head and saw a

bullet speeding down the street; narrowly missing him. He could see the looks of horror on his friends' faces; they all were

realizing someone had shot at him. He made a dash for them, screaming the whole way back.

Steve viewed the event with rage, having been startled out of his sentry-like duty by the gun-shot. To his own growing horror

he realized he couldn't pinpoint the location of the bullets departure. How different this tale would be if he was on any other

building, alas he was too caught up in his own thoughts to hear the various shouts and accusations' that were occurring right

below the worn concrete his own feet stood on.

"NO! NO I WONT FAIL THIS! SONIC DIES TODAY!" Robert shouted in an insanity laced glee. He had waited too long for this

moment, such a perfect shot lined before him. This time he would make the mark, and the millions would be his!

"ROBERT STOP, YOU PROMISED ONE SHOT AND WERE DONE!" Ben shouted in retort, scrambling over to Roberts location as

they both fought viciously over the gun. Hands gnarling against one another, Robert tried to line up a shot. Out of the clear

blue, a voice spoke to Robert then; drowning out the various shouts and yells of the enraged Ben. It spoke to him, and like a

child in a school room, he listened intently. _Do not let anyone get in your way, Ben is foolish. This is your time for glory, think of it, _

_the money, and the infamy. Kill Sonic, murder him in cold blood. That is your destiny, and destiny will provide for you. _The voice

murmured, snaking around inside his skull like some venomous serpent. A poisonous influence that tainted his thoughts, the

nameless voice seemed to corrupt his mind. His conviction resolved, he grabbed the rifle fiercely away from Ben, pushing his

wisened partner away as he launched a second more deadly shot. The bullet began its speedy descent down the street,

heading directly towards its masters target.

Sonic shoved Amy into the alley, she fell with a yelp of pain as she hit the rusty old dumpster; the sheer force of the blow

temporarily knocking her out. Sonic's mind was panicked, clouded with shock and to a much greater extent, fear. He had to

save his friends. Miles and Cosmo stood dumb-founded shocked at the recent events. He made a grasp for them both, but

managed to only snag Miles as he hurled him into the adjacent alleyway. Cosmo instantly snapped out of her paralysis,

chasing after Miles to see if he was injured.

The bullet whizzed by Sonic, prickling his neck as time seemed to slow for a split second. He turned his head, perhaps due to

his panic, the bullet seemed to subtly change course in mid-air. He let loose a scream, a warning as he turned around to help

Amy frantically trying to wake her up; foolishly thinking the bullet had missed a mark. Cosmo turned for a split second,

gauging the direction of the scream. She turned around again, trying to find Miles. Their eyes locked for a second, as

Miles gazed at her in shock. His face pale, as the color seemed to drain from him like a faucet on the highest setting.

Cosmo stumbled dazedly onto him. Her head spun and she felt incredibly dizzy all of a sudden, she slipped in her attempt to

get off of Miles. To her terrified shock her hands drew blood, her blood, as she attempted once again to stand back up. She

collapsed on him once more, her eyes finally noticing the blood that was coating her dress; seeping onto the grayish concrete

and creating a murky crimson pool. Her face white as a sheet; realizing what had happened, she had been shot. Even as she

thought this; she also realized she was slowly bleeding to death.

Steve observed these events with terror, all of his carefully laid plans were falling to pieces before his very eyes. Everything

he had worked so very hard for, it was all being shattered. Such a blow sent him reeling, as he fell to the floor. Then to his

astonishment, he could hear voices below through the weak concrete; Arguing and cursing, a heated debate of some kind.

Then it clicked within his mind, how foolish he had been. The assassins were right below his own two feet the entire time. He

had failed in his task, and right below him the assassins must be mocking his failure he reasoned. A rage filled his body, an

emotion he had grown very accustomed too over the years. The assassins would pay for this travesty, to dare interfere with

his meticulously crafted plan. The stairs loomed behind him; slowly he lurched up. He proceeded to stroll over to the thick iron

doors, guarding an entrance to the building's interior. A single lock dangled between the two door knobs, the kind one might

find in a general store for five dollars at the very most. In one quick motion Steve had managed to pick the fragile lock, the

device fell to the ground with a small thud. He swiftly slipped inside, awaiting his prey with an all consuming hatred

possessing his form.

"NOOOOO!" Miles shouted in both terror and sorrow. She was bleeding all over him; he could see the wound where the bullet

had punctured directly through her ribcage. Bits and pieces of shattered bone flew turbidly out of the gaping wound on a tide

of her crimson fluids. He tried to apply pressure to her wound, to no avail as the blood and bone easily seeped past his

fingers. Coating himself with her crimson tears, she was dying; his mind couldn't register this thought as he began to cry.

Tears flowing down his face, as his life fell apart before his very eyes. "You can't die… no… you can't… YOU PROMISED!" He

shouted, more to himself then her. "YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T LEAVE ME ALL ALONE!" He shouted incoherently,

smashing a fist against the steel dumpster to his side. "You promised… please…" He pleaded; having a kind of hope his words

would somehow heal her wounds. Those words he had recited for months popped into his head, a kind of desperate hope

filled his despairing body. "I love you!" He expressed, hugging her body closer to him as his tears fell on her limp form. "I

LOVE YOU DAMNIT!"

Cosmo's eyes were blurred, the form before her, was fading away from her sight. She could make out he was screaming,

screaming something. She couldn't hear him. All she knew was that she was cold, terribly cold. She shivered terribly in his

arms, her thoughts finally beginning to form some sort of coherence. She opened her mouth to speak, to reveal her final

words. Yet to her despair, only blood choked disgustingly out of her mouth. Dribbling out of her mouth and coating her love

with new blood, she tried so hard to speak but the closest she got was a disgusting gurgling noise. Even now her demons

worked against her, her unresponsive body, holding her back as she tried to express her final thoughts. Through her glazy

eyes, she could see him weeping openly. She had once again failed, her earlier promise smashed to dust before her. Even

now, her conscience seemed to taunt her. "I won't leave you all alone to fend for yourself." That was what she had told him.

She realized she was nothing but a liar, her sorrow further clouding her thoughts. She made one last desperate move, raising

her hand slowly to his fearful form. She was trying desperately to comfort him with her last remaining strength. Her eyes went

blank, a darkness enveloping them. Her hand trailed down his chest, blood lining him as it rubbed off herself. Her hand

dropped limply to the ground, as she awaited the inevitable. All that would never be for her, a happy life, and dreams of a

little family perhaps; smashed to little pieces before her.

She lay in the saturated pool, unaware of the various shouting voices around her. Before the void enveloped her mind, she

thought of her own family. She was the last of her race, and a lone tear slipped across her dying eyes. It slipped across her

face to the floor, a small droplet of clear blue in the sea of red that enveloped her. It was quickly lost in the tide of blood. Her

feelings changed again, she thought of a field; an amber sea of grain. To the opposite side just a few yards away, Miles

stood; a childish fantasy began to be created within her minds last gasping moments. Like some epic romance scene, she ran

to him as he ran to her. As the world dissolved around her, she held that one moment the longest in her mind. Trying

desperately to clutch at the fading figure before her, they shared a final embrace. The fields whistled with the wind, a grey

enveloping all that was before her. That one final happiness; gone. The void enveloping her body as her pulse stuttered to

a halt. Leaving behind a man that desperately needed her.

And as she left the world, a cry rang out. A cry of pain, a cry of sorrow, it echoed throughout the various buildings and streets

within Station Square. People began to swarm to the site in droves, ambulance and police sirens blared off in the distance;

far too late to be of any help. To catch a harrowing glimpse of the Prower child clutching the still bleeding form of Cosmo in his

arms. Sonic and Amy ran to help him, Amy clutching onto Sonic as she couldn't hold back the flood of tears that were wracking

her body. Sonic's mouth agape in unbridled horror at the sight of Cosmo's corpse; still held lovingly in the shaking arms of his

terror stricken friend. His eyes tearing uncontrollably, as his legs wobbled disconcertingly below him; seeming to barely make

contact with the ground. Miles finally collapsed to the floor unleashing a desperate wail of sadness. As twilight dawned, on his

one true love.


	10. Vendetta

"Robert… what have you done?" Ben was barely able to express that thought, as he stared at the scene that was now

enveloping Station Square. People were streaming out into the streets now, some noticeably crying over the tragedy that

had just occurred. Clouds were beginning to drift in outside, obscuring the moon. As if the moon was trying to hide itself from

the catastrophe.

"I… just lost control… THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN DAMNIT!" Robert exclaimed furiously, hurling the rifle he had been

holding against one of the termite infested walls. Termites were beginning to stream onto the new object, checking to see if it

was edible.

"No time for dramatics now Robert, I hear police sirens. We have to get out of here, now!" Ben proclaimed, taking a quick

glance outside the window as he hurried Robert along the dusty path to the room's only door. He could see police cars

speeding into the area, and realized very quickly how urgently they needed to leave. He managed to kick down the door with

a kick.

"Where do we leave Ben? BEN?!" Robert asked him almost frantically. As it stood now, Ben was the decision maker in his

eyes. They were both in the decrepit hallway of the apartment building now. To Robert's disgust, termites were everywhere.

All the termites; engorging themselves on the last remnants of wood in the building.

"To the roof! We can try to sneak off the side from there! Hurry Robert! I don't know how much time we have left before the

cops decide to check this place out!" Ben announced, leading the charge down the hallway. To the opposite end of the

hallway, like a heaven of sorts, was a broken neon sign that read "Exit". No longer glowing, confined to a dreary darkness

after so many years of disuse. Rushing past the broken boards and cracking walls, they both continued running. The door

seeming to drag on farther down the hallway each step they took, the kind of illusion one might see when overly panicked.

Even now Robert could hear sirens blaring off in the distance, seeming to get ever closer. The musty air of the hallway caused

his nose to itch noticeably, the various small dusts and timbers floating through the air invading his nasal regions. A terrible

smell lingered in the apartment, akin to the traditional bad smell simile of "smells like rotten eggs".

Ben completely obscured his view of the narrow hallway, all he knew was that they were advancing farther and farther away

from the room they had just occupied. Thinking all of this, he didn't notice as Ben suddenly stopped moving. Robert bumped

into him as Ben fell forward a little, pushing against the door ahead of him to steady himself. Likewise, Robert was knocked

back a little by the blow. In nervous silence and anticipation, Ben twisted the door handle as soon as he had recovered from

the earlier blow.

The door flung open as Ben unleashed a terrible scream. "That many termites, eh Ben?" Robert chuckled mildly grasping his

friend's wrists. "Let me see then, there can't be _that _many termites." Robert proclaimed, trying to advance futile past his

friend.

"What the hell Ben? Let me through; the fucking cops are almost here you moron!" Ben exclaimed in indignant anger,

grasping his parnters shoulder and spinning the man around to face him. "OH MY GOD, WHAT THE FUCK!!" Robert shouted in

horror, pushing Ben away from him. Or rather Ben's corpse, the face was almost entirely gone. Small droplets of blood and

hair lay matted on the area where one would expect a mouth, nose, and eyes. The sinewy flesh that was horrifically visible

was frayed in varying places, small strings' of muscle and tendons streaming from the gaping hole in his head. Robert

continued to scream. His voice echoing loudly off the rafters, as he continued staring in terror at his partner's deceased body.

He found his legs were locked to the ground, too stunned to move anywhere. He tried to force his legs to obey, his brain

screaming for him to get the hell out.

Yet he found he was also curious, a horrible curiosity. The kind one may think about morbidly when hearing the old "curiosity

killed the cat" expression. Instead of backward he found his legs inching forward slowly, eventually stopping at the door. He

couldn't make out anything past the doors frame, someone. _Or something_ he thought with a shudder; had cut the power for

the stairwell. He tentatively stuck his hand in the murky black, retracting it quickly when he deemed it had gone a sufficient

length. He found himself fighting in his mind, a battle between curiosity and the not unreasonable notion to get the hell away

from this place. One glance at Ben's now termite infested corpse, gave him the foresight to pick the latter option. He was

beginning to turn when he heard a voice through the dark. He quickly spun back around, having been too sudden a sound for

him to guess what had been said. He half hoped it was Ben and he had just been having some insane hallucination. But the

figure that now stood at the brink of the door was not Ben. "Did you kill…Ben?" Robert found himself whispering calmly, far

too calmly given the pretext of the situation.

"So, that was his name. Yes, I suppose you could say I did. I had no need for him, but for you…. perhaps." The creature

replied, slowly advancing towards Robert; who found he was once again filled with a mix of horror and curiosity. He could not

budge. As the figure moved closer, Robert could distinguish some details he had not noticed before. The man, if it could be

called that, wore a rather simple black cloak that extended to the floor. The kind one might find in a thrift store, albeit it was

very well maintained. The cloak ended in a hood that did a remarkable job in obscuring facial features. The figures fascination

with the color black did not end there, as he also wore a matching pair of gloves in that same color. In any other circumstance

Robert would have written him off as some emo kid in the wrong side of town, yet he knew this was not true._ When's the last _

_time I've __heard of an average emo kid ripping off someone's entire face? _He thought wordlessly. No, this was more like a figure

from a horror movie. Yet it was real, a very profound difference between life and Hollywood movies.

"I suppose you think I'm some kind of monster don't you? Not too far from the truth to be perfectly frank. I can see you are

afraid, yet you do not run. Why do they never run? You should be afraid you know, for all my outward calm I hate you. I

would like nothing more than to end your pathetic existence. Yet that is not very … polite… now is it? We have not even been

formally introduced have we? " The figure rhetorically spoke, now almost face to face with Robert. Even at this distance

Robert could not see anything within the hood, as if by some kind of black magic. The figure began to speak again, softer this

time. "I suppose you are waiting for a name. I have had many names over the years; I am not particularly fond of any of

them. You may call me Steve if you wish for a name. I really don't care about your name, so we don't have to delve into a

general introduction from yourself as well. Now, I have taken the time to talk to you and therefore am expecting a response

worthy of the time and energy I have spent thus far conversing with you. You murdered Cosmo; do you have ANY idea… how

much damage you have done to my plan?" Suddenly the creature grabbed at his throat, displaying an amazing strength as it

lifted him high above the ground. Robert tried desperately to claw his way out of the grip, noticing with horror a terrible smell

of decay. As if the aforementioned rotten eggs; had been applied liberally onto a corpse. The figures hands seemed bulge

noticeably out of the gloves, an eerie effect to be sure.

"Now then assassin, I shall give you a chance to right this wrong. Normally, you would already be dead. Consider the mere

fact you are alive and breathing my gift to you. However, in repayment of this gift; you shall tell me the name and location of

your employer. I would very much like to have an… amiable chat with him or her." Steve cooed, an undeniable charm tinting

his words. Robert did not know exactly why his speaking method was persuasive, but he had the idea that the stranglehold

he was now in had something to do with it.

"E…GG-M…a-…n" Robert choked out, his saliva slobbering disgustingly all over the man's cloak. Steve released the assassin

from his grip, he fell to the ground panting and choking out for precious mouthfuls of oxygen. His earlier predicament nearly

killing him, he realized air had never seemed to _taste _so good in his mouth before. The figure before him regarded him with

what appeared to be curiosity; either that or he was pondering something. Either way Robert knew what _he_ was doing,

trying to escape the obviously insane man before him. He recalled with solemnity what had happened to Ben, and assured

himself he would not suffer the same fate. Whoever this person was, insane or not, Robert had to escape by any means

necessary. So far the easiest way would be to answer this man's questions.

"Eggman… He ordered this… why am I not surprised?" The figure said aloud, more to himself than to Robert; who figured if he

could just answer all the creepy man's questions, he could get away or be set free. "Answer me this." Steve suddenly asked,

causing Robert to turn his head in that direction. He seemed to be nervous as he remained on the floor, not getting back up.

Not caring what disease ridden bugs infested the floorboards, he wanted to keep as large a distance between himself and

the nutter as possible in the circumstances. "Where is Eggman? I suppose this event is partly my fault, I did not see him as a

viable threat. Yet, it now appears he is far more dangerous than I was led to believe. So I must know where he is located, it

makes finding people much easier." The form finished with a disturbingly out of place snort of laughter. Yet it was an odd

snort, Robert couldn't quite put his finger to it. The movements he had taken to create such a reaction seemed to be,

rehearsed; as if he had been practicing such a reaction for long periods of time. An odd thought to be sure and he quickly

tossed it aside, he had more important things to worry about than snorts. He realized with a shudder as his last thought

passed, that he did not know where Eggman was quartered. The only thing he knew was what the little hologram cube that

had been deposited in his mailbox quite a few weeks ago had told him. With a sinking heart, he explained his position to the

man before him.

"I don't actually know you see I am ju-"Robert didn't finish that sentence. Steve had closed the gap between them quickly,

and with a herculean strength had managed to hurl Robert easily through a wooden wall. Pus infested white termite guts

coated his clothing, as he slammed violently against a far more structurally stable wall to the opposite side. His joints ached

and his back hurt like a bitch. _This is one violent motherfucker _Robert thought as he began to rub his back; hoping to dull the

pain that had taken root. He quickly managed to brush aside the termite body parts that were adorning his form. Big, puss-

filled, globs of organs and blood lay dotted along his shirt and pants; as he splayed frantically to remove such horrific

evidence from his being.

The termite body parts had been easy, the blood and guts now adorning his shirt were much harder to get rid of. After

managing to get rid of most of the termite blood and organs, he realized with horror that the figure had been observing him

silently through the hole in the wall. The room was completely devoid of any kind of content except for himself, the nutter,

and the disgusting termites. The figure seemed un-tired, quite an odd sight after the fact he had managed to slam someone

directly through a fucking wall. Termite infested or not, that took strength and the least one could expect would be at least a

fleeting sense of stamina loss.

"I grow tired of this; I was hoping you could provide me with information. As it stands now you are merely wasting my time, a

bad thing for you I might add. The fact that even as I speak Cosmo lay dead; possibly rotting does not help your case in the

slightest. Do not confuse my calm with some kind of camaraderie between yourself and I. As I think I have stated before, I

hate you. Now you will tell me, or you will die. Where is Eggman?" Steve finished calmly, too calmly. The kind of calm one

might see from the archetypal quiet one, or the calm before the storm, if you preferred metrological metaphors to simple

criminal ones. Robert began to wrack his mind, searching for any kind of info related to Eggman's whereabouts. The tapping

of Steve's foot on the creaky floor did nothing to ease his tensions. The almost universal sign of impatience; the constant

tapping sound driving him to think harder, and explore more obscure areas of his mind. Then he remembered, while he

himself did not know; he knew someone that did.

"Wait! I know someone that does!" Robert exclaimed, ceasing the foot tapping to his relief.

"Well spit it out then, I do not have all night."

"Shadow knows where Eggman is!" Robert replied with confidence. Steve didn't respond for a few minutes, as if he knew that

name. With the hood on Robert didn't know for sure, but he could have sworn that Steve was smiling. Not by seeing, but by

_feeling _the presence of a smile; odd as that may seem. Then again with all the weird shit that had gone on in the last few

minutes; Robert welcomed this new knowledge. Steve gave a reply, startling Robert.

"Shadow… The black and red hedgehog-like figure correct?" Steve asked completely emotionlessly. That display making it

difficult for Robert to decipher whether this was good or bad news for him.

"Ya, that's the one, I have bumped into him a few times and happen to know where he is. Of course I'll tell you if you ask."

Robert replied, trying to get on Steve's good side.

"Yes, it has been too long. Far too long." Steve cryptically announced aloud, an odd thing to say for sure. Steve seemed to

realize he had said this aloud, something he had not intended. All of the man's odd mannerisms and motions were beginning

to bug Robert. _Who the hell is this guy? _Robert thought, he decided to tread dangerous water by asking a question.

"Did you… know Shadow?" Robert asked, as meek and fragile sounding as he could muster.

"What I have and have not done is none of your concern. I have done many things throughout my… life. Terrible things, if I

was to stand here and recount everything I had ever done. Well, it would be quite the story. Violent, horrific, and yet also

enrapturing. Perhaps one day, long from now you will know. Know of…" Steve gave a pause, Robert wondered what he was

about to say with anticipation. As bat-shit insane as this guy seemed, he could probably tell a story or two.

"Never you mind. I misspoke before. Tell me where Shadow is, so that I may find Eggman." Steve commanded, changing the

subject deftly. Robert would not be dissuaded however; his curiosity easily overriding his fear of this man. So against the

wishes of most of his senses he asked again, more forcefully this time.

"First, tell me a little about this 'plot' of yours first. Your cryptic comments are beginning to get rather annoying." Robert

commanded, without a tinge of fear in his voice. The fear came back quickly when Steve began to laugh. A hideous sound, the

pitch and tone constantly changing. The laugh started off low then began booming throughout the room, the disturbing

sound of one whom had probably jumped off the deep-end long ago. The laughing didn't die down, it just stopped. An eerie

silence pervaded the room; Robert began to fear for his life. Then the man spoke, though Robert was now almost sure this

was not a man. To his shock its eyes became visible, dark red orbs. Creating quite the horrific look, as the creature spoke

slowly and calmly; far too calmly given the words that emerged from his lips.

"God help you and your race if I succeed, child." That reply sent chills and unease down Robert's spine. The way he had said

it, the hate that seemed to lie dormant beneath those words. That scared the hell out of him the most, for an instant it was

like he could feel this creatures hate. A dark and burning sensation, that seemed to perspire from him like a sweat. It was

only for a moment before that old sense of calm replaced the hate. Yet in that moment, he had learned almost everything he

would ever want to know from this being. '_You and your race' what the hell does that mean? _Robert thought, he might have

asked again to clarify. But he did not want to piss this thing off now more than ever, that last comment scaring the snarky

attitude straight out of him. He was now positive that this creature was not even human.

"I believe I have done my fair share of cryptic comments and clues for now. Now that we have that little hurdle out of the

way, I will repeat for the final time before things get violent. Where is Shadow?" Robert knew better than to keep this creep

waiting, and instantly spilled the beans.

"He is in the forest, a little ways behind Tail's workshop off in the hills. I think he's working with the doctor, a bit surprising

actually because I thought he chummed with Sonic. Anyway, that's where he is now please let me go!" Robert found himself

shouting. This experience was far too unnerving and he needed a beer something bad. Steve merely stood there, probably

staring. He suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

"Not just yet, there is one last thing I require from you." Steve responded, beginning to stroll over to Robert's location. Robert

stood up from the floor; he found he did not want to know what Steve wanted. He could remember movies where the same

thing had been said to a victim, turning out to be something intensely disgusting or creepy. Yet he asked anyway, hoping it

was just a 'be good' lecture or something innocuous like that.

"Wh-what?" Steve did not reply they were now face to face. Robert's entire field of vision now consisted of the creature in

front of him. The void of Steve's hood seemed to suck him into its eternal black. Steve grasped his shoulders, digging the

gloves into his flesh. Robert was terrified now; hoping whatever it was he was doing would be over quickly. Then to his shock

and disgust, Steve had leaned over to kiss his mouth. "WHAT THE FUCKING HELL! GET OFF ME YOU QUEER! YOU FAGGOT! GE-

"Robert couldn't finish that last sentence, as Steve plunged his mouth deeply onto his. Low grunts and murmurs of hate

escaped his lips, he tried desperately to escape. To no avail, the hands held him firmly in place. The smell of rot and decay

was now overpowering, as he was now in this creatures hood. Even inside the hood, he could not distinguish any features,

all he saw was black. He could feel the creatures tongue moving inside his mouth, trying to intertwine with his own. He could

feel elements of disgust and hate that were now overpowering all other senses. _I AM NO FUCKING TWINKLE TOES!_ Robert

thought, still trying desperately to escape its grasp. The tongue seemed to be moving deeper and deeper into his mouth,

exploring the dank and forgotten areas near the back. The sticky tongue of this creature seemed to be able to extend,

pushing itself farther and farther. Robert might have been amazed if he wasn't so pissed off and revolted. The invasive

intruder somehow managed to reach the back of his throat. Leaving Robert wondering when the queer-bait would get the

hell off him. He had never before been so revolted by an act before.

He realized faintly that Steve's grip had loosened considerably. He thought quickly, raising one of his feet in preparation. He

managed to kick away Steve, who fell quickly to the floor with a loud thud; unmoving. Robert was having an intense moment

of triumph, too ecstatic to remove the tongue that must have come off the creature; still wiggling about in his mouth. He

would remove the invader later, for now he wanted to have a look at the face of his tormentor. With surprising speed, he

managed to roll the body over to its front. The hoods darkness obscured its master's face even in death. Tentatively, Robert

lowered his hands onto the hood, shaking in anticipation. Grasping the edges of the smooth, almost silk-like substance, he

tugged away the hood violently.

He began to scream, and scream.

His hands darted quickly away from the hood, as he moved as far away from the body as possible. His screeches of terror

could be heard for miles around. His eyes bugged almost out of their sockets, His blood ran cold and seemed to freeze in his

skin. A lump began to form deep inside his throat, preventing speech as his loud screams became thin whispers of horror. His

body was sweating noticeably; such was the horror of what he had seen. The tongue still wiggled around in his mouth, but

he was too shocked too notice.

Within that cloak, he had glimpsed a face and that revealed the source of the terrible smells. The 'body' was a corpse, a

walking talking corpse. Whatever this being had been, it had not been alive. Perhaps most terrifying, the body was no more

than 13 years old. The eyes were rotting noticeably, a few worms squiggling within the sockets. The eyes might have been

blue at one point, but now the color was a slightly murky white in each pupil. His ears had been clipped on either side, large

holes in each earlobe. The skin was a pale and ghoulish white, the look of one whose blood ran dry long ago. The nose was

for all intents and purposes, nonexistent. Only a small impression of where one would be was slightly visible on his face.

Robert remembered the hair which was dirty and contained large traces of lice and ticks roaming about the undergrowth of

his scalp, perfectly content to feed off one who was already dead. The man's mouth had been open, and the teeth had been

rotten and cavity infested. Large holes in almost every tooth, the barest basics of hygiene ignored. The tongue-

Robert stopped cold in his tracks, a new sweat beginning to pour over his face. He began to hyper ventilate rapidly, his hands

grasping for his own mouth. Shoving his fingers deep within the crevices, he moved them around frantically. He was searching

desperately, for the thing that was now wiggling up his throat. He remembered clearly through the panic in his pitch.

The tongue had been inside that mouth, inside the corpse. Whatever was now squirming up close to his nasal regions was

most certainly not a tongue. He began to feel dizzy and light headed, stumbling around drunkenly. He could feel it, writhing

and squirming inside his very body. The creature was pushing itself further and further in the direction of his cranial matter,

pulsating and oozing a kind of slime. The slime made him woozy, and he began to cough uncontrollably as he slammed

against a wall. Falling to the ground, clutching his head as he realized this being was now inside his skull. He began to smash

his head against the wall, trying desperately to kill whatever this fucking thing was. All he managed to accomplish was

seriously hurt himself, blood now oozing out of his ear from the many blows they had received.

_OH MY FUCKING GOD WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT MAN? WHO THE FUCK IS THIS GUY JESUS CHRIST! _Robert thought with clear

panic lining his own thoughts. The creature within his skull grasped and pulled itself along inside his cranium blindly, Robert

too injured to stop its ascent. He could feel the being latch onto his brain, a terrible pain enveloped him as the creature

began to burrow itself into his grey matter. He could feel it writhing, he could feel it writhing. He tried once again to slam his

head, giving up before he had even lifted his head. The pain blinded him; he could feel something pulsating inside his brain.

The slime coated monstrosity was becoming larger, and larger; seeming to feed off him. His thoughts ended, when his brain

was engulfed by the humongous creature. The void enveloped Robert, as life slipped away.

From his corpse, a new creature was born. Unsteadily, the new figure stood up. His feet wobbled uncontrollably, but after a

few minutes managed to remain perfectly still. It stood for a few minutes, flexing and un-flexing its fingers. Observing the

area around him in almost crystal clear sight, sound working marvelously. The process it was now engaged in took the

creature less than 10 minutes. He extended his arm, almost a perfect movement. He began to practice his speech, testing his

newfound voice. "Yes, a very admirable job in the upkeep of this body. Everything seems to be working perfectly, perhaps

even… no… still no… after all these years. Ah well, I didn't really think _that _function would work anyway. But soon, soon it shall

function. And it does, this world shall die. Oh yes, it shall _writhe in its death throes_." The creature exclaimed using the voice of

Robert, giggling uncontrollably. The giggles became snorts and the snorts became laughter. The same putrid and bile laughter

he had exhibited earlier.

He calmed down a little, removing his cloak from the other corpse. Slipping it on quickly and efficiently, the hood darkening his

face in that much loved darkness. He checked for the ring, it was still tucked safely in its sheath. "It is time, time to see how

events will turn out. Perhaps nothing will come of Cosmo's murder, perhaps everything will. Only time could reveal _that_ fact."

He spoke aloud, still testing out his vocal capabilities. He knew what he would do though; he would murder Eggman and

anyone else that stood in his way. He quietly left the building, cloak billowing in the breeze. He exited by the rooftop, sirens

still blaring. He took a quick glance at the event, but only a glance. He had more important things to do than stare all day. He

leaped off the building, into an abandoned alleyway. Nobody noticed him as he continued his journey, all the while hoping his

plan would still work; as he disappeared amongst the throngs of people.

_Editor's note- I tried to model this chap after a horror novel. I think I did fairly ok. Any comments or suggestions please tell me! _

_Thankies in advance: D_


	11. Aftermath

It began to rain, steadily at first, then with a mighty ferociousness. Thunder boomed off in the distance, as storm clouds

seemed to appear from out of nowhere. The rain thudded against the ground with audible force, causing people to flee into

their homes. Lightning struck a brave, lone, bird flying high above the city; its dead body fell quickly down below. The bird

slammed onto the one of the many concrete streets of Station Square. Unmoving, its feet pointing upwards towards the sky it

had fallen from. Out of the concrete, already worms were beginning to descend upon their new host. The black eyes of the bird

forever un-seeing, against this miserable backdrop, Miles wept.

Everyone had fled the rain, everyone but Sonic and Amy. The police cars had left long ago, off to pursue other, more important

matters. The ambulance took one glance at the body and just turned tail and ran, off to help other citizens who weren't

already in the clutches of advanced rigor mortis. The crowd scattered after the first sightings of rain, and even the hardiest did

not stand around once the worst had come to pass. Somehow it seemed fitting, for there to be such heavy rain, the droplets

thudding loudly against the asphalt and concrete. As if the heavens themselves cried at the loss, yet even in his heightened

state of grief, Miles knew that thought was absurd. Even as he held her for the final time, his mind was able to brush away this

earlier notion easily. His eyes were bloodshot, tears having done their job effectively. He was all cried out now, his eyes too

worn to do anything but water uneasily at the edges of the lids. The rain became his tears, at least for the time being they

were. Streaking across his face, they accomplished that end quite nicely.

Taking a glance back, he saw that Sonic and Amy were whispering about something. Sonic seemed to be at a loss, he merely

listened to whatever it was Amy was saying. He nodded his head in some places and comforted her in others, trying

desperately to accomplish the task that had been suddenly thrust upon him.

"I can't believe it, Cosmo's gone. Once again, Jesus. Why? Who could be so heartless? She had done nothing wrong, she

was… she was just kindness and joy. This is all my fault… if it wasn't for this… this stupid fucking ring… she would still be alive

and… and…" Amy couldn't continue this sentence, guilt washing over her like a tidal wave. A tidal wave that would destroy her

if it wasn't stopped in its tracks, guilt had a tendency to do that to people if in large enough quantities.

"Don't blame yourself Amy, this wasn't your fault. If anything it's my own…" Sonic murmured that last part, remembering how

he had failed to hurl Cosmo away from the danger. Now he felt guilty. That wasn't the reaction he had wanted to bestow upon

himself.

"How is it your fault? If I hadn't cared about this stupid ring," She gave a pause and a scream, as she threw the ring as far

away from her as possible, not caring where it landed. "Everything would have been just peachy. WHAT THE HELL DID YOU

DO!? HOW IS THIS "YOUR" FAULT!?" Amy found herself screaming, her voice echoing loudly throughout the vicinity of the plaza

they both resided in. Her fiery temper flared away quickly, leaving her looking ashamed over the callous comment she had just

made. She began an attempt to explain away her earlier comment before Sonic had a chance to retort. "I... I didn't mean it

like… like that… I mean… well… I don't know why I did that. I just… got angry… damnit… this isn't right. Why did Cosmo of all

people I mean… what did she ever do? Her entire family is dead, hell she was the last remaining member of her species for

god's sake! I feel so guilty now; I was so mean to her today. Her and Miles, I was a big fucking jerk. Jesus and then Miles, how

is he going to take this? I still remember… when he attempted suicide… that was such a horrible image. Bleeding like a stuck

pig, his eyes open but unseeing. His hands, dear god his hands… his fucking hands!" Amy collapsed, defeated. Her breathing

had sped up dramatically throughout the course of her sordid explanation. She closed her eyes, trying to ward away that

image, as she began to wail. Sonic was at a loss for this, he began to weep with her. Their collective tear's forming a small

pool of sadness and loss beneath them both, as rain continued to bear down on them both.

Miles took another glance back. Amy looked terrible, the rain washing away the makeup she had put on earlier for her 'date'.

Now the colored blemishes she had used had drifted to various other areas of her face, flowing in the general direction of the

water; down. Odd swirlings of color were patched un-evenly over her face, creating an almost eerie effect. He noticed she was

clutching her 'lucky' ring, then with a sudden cry; she hurled it into a nearby gutter. The ring rolled along the grooved edges of

the gutter, before falling into the void of the sewers. Never to be seen again. Amy collapsed on the ground, as Sonic scrambled

to ease her aching heart. No words seemed to be said, as they both sat, weeping. In that short span of time, she looked

almost as if she had aged 10 years. Such were the effects of her depression, she cried once again. Her eyes were as bloodshot

as his own from all the tears she had spilled, understandable seeing as how she had just witnessed the murder of her best

friend.

_Murder_, that word struck a chord with Mile's. As he lay there, isolated, he thought of her death. It had happened so fast, he

hadn't even seen the bullet until it had ruptured a blood gushing hole in her ribs. He tried to close that memory; he never

wanted to remember that moment. But it lay stuck in his head, like some kind of backed up sewage that had no place to go. To

sit in his head and rot, to become a disgustingly murky mixture of water and algae blooms. _Water and algae blooms? Where the _

_hell did that come from? _He thought to himself, yet even now his thoughts centered on such a sight. It was better than the

thought of her final moments, he supposed. Yet despite his efforts to seal up the memory, just by gazing at Cosmo's open and

un-seeing eyes, he knew it would return in time.

He tentatively moved a lone hand over Cosmo's face. Carefully he lowered his hand to grasp her eyelid, gently pulling it over

one of her bulging eyes. He repeated the process with the other eye, creating an image that might have been serene. Might

have been; if it wasn't for how ghastly white and pale she looked a side effect of the massive amounts of blood she had lost.

The hole in her side still bled a little, and he gave a small flinch when he saw that blood had pooled along his right leg. Sticking

to his fur like a burr, he realized it wasn't going to come out easily.

He shook his head uneasily; he had other things to worry about. Like how he could live his life without her embrace. How he

could live life without her warm smile lighting up his day. Memories hit him like bullets out of a gun, knocking him back mentally.

He could remember, the spiraling depression, the attempted suicide, the almost un-ending sense of loneliness. All the factors

that had helped contribute to how unstable he had been, how full of hurt and pain he had been. Now it was happening again.

This time was different though, despite how down he had been in those scattered months; Cosmo's seed gave him hope.

Another memory hit him, this one stemming back years earlier. Shortly after her 'first', he cringed at that thought, death. Sonic

had found that seed floating around in the remains of Dark Oak, Cosmo's seed, her final gift of sorts. That seed gave him hope,

even at the worst of times he had the smallest sense of hope. That everything would turn out alright if he kept the plant

watered and fertilized.

That seed had become his obsession, even while he lay in the hospital for therapy after his suicide attempt; he had managed

to convince Amy to care for that seed in his absence. Over time it had grown into a flower, a beautiful blooming flower. That

hope was rewarded when the flower died, leaving behind a joyful and bleary-eyed Cosmo. He remembered how happy he had

been, and through that incredible memory of happiness, managed to milk one more tear out of his worn and wasted eyes. She

had been everything to him, and now he realized that everything was gone. He tried to cry again, but only succeeded in

hurting his eyes. The tears stopped flowing, so he just took the pain instead. He realized there was no hope this time. There

was no seed, no chance for a glorious revival. There was only a corpse, and his own broken heart. The resuscitator beeped

almost gloomily, orbiting its master. Miles had almost forgotten it had existed, so absorbed he had been in his thoughts. The

new sound annoyed him, for now he just wanted to be left alone. He felt an unknown rage bellow within his body, a hatred of

his invention. He made an angry fist as if to strike the object, when he suddenly realized how stupid he had been.

He carefully laid Cosmo back on the asphalt, as inwardly he made a joyful jump. His rage promptly vanished as he stood up.

The resuscitator would save her, and in the process save him as well. He took a step back and tried to calm himself; he'd need

steady hands to work his finicky invention. He brought his hands to rest over the resuscitator, which shocked him mildly. He bit

his lip and retracted his clenched palm over to his eyes. Delicately, and with the finesse of a surgeon at his craft, he began to

type into the small keypad on the side of the machine. Slowly at first, then with increasing speed as an excitement overtook his

body. He vaguely remembered Cosmo's reprimand about the use of his device, but he easily silenced that small voice of doubt.

He had failed her so many times before, he would not fail again. He would succeed, he would triumph. The invention which he

had spent so much time and energy on would work flawlessly. She would look at him and he would look at her. All would be

right. Small beads of perspiration coated his body, as he worked his invention. Each button press had to be clear and concise;

detailing all the information about the victim he had available to him. This process would make it easier for the resuscitator to

expend the correct amount of energy on the target. Inwardly, Miles knew energy was his main problem. He had detailed quite

extensively earlier to Cosmo how difficult it was for his machine to work. He shut off this negative thought, his second so far.

He needed to remain positive on the issue; he desperately needed that sense of hope. He needed any sense of hope at all,

anything to ward away the darkness that surrounded him.

He was so absorbed in his work he didn't notice Sonic and Amy staring at him. "What the heck is he doing? Wait a minute…

resuscitator… but… that was a joke. Wasn't it?" Amy turned to Sonic, her demeanor begging him for answers.

"Well I thought so… but… for what other reason would he be using it?" Sonic responded Amy's eyes seemed to brighten

considerably in this revelation.

"Yes… the resuscitator can save her! C'mon… work the fucking thing Tails…" Amy pleaded, receiving no answer in reply. The

closest thing she got was a continuous tapping noise and the occasional banging of keys on the machine. She took that as all

the answer she needed. This opportunity was too great for her to get angry over being ignored. Instead she felt incredibly

happy and light, probably because she had no clue to the faults of the invention. If she had known, her demeanor might have

been far more nervous. Having no clues to the efficiency and workability of the invention, she assumed the device was 100

workable. Such a notion was easy to manufacture due to the great intelligence Miles had shown on earlier endeavors in

technological matters. So she was in a state of bliss, believing herself to have an amiable chat with Cosmo quite soon and

perhaps to laugh about it later if such a situation might present itself.

While Amy was delighting herself in the fantasy world she had conjured, Sonic stood stoically still. He had no idea what to do in

this kind of situation. Earlier Amy had been sobbing her heart out, now she was in a mood approaching ecstatic. The revelation

that perhaps Cosmo could be revived, that all this could be put behind them, was a powerful motivation. Sonic gladly held her

hand, reveling in her abrupt change of emotion. Her perkiness was almost creepy in the context of the present situation, but

given the new Information, it could be excused as extreme hope. Amy had known Cosmo the best of them all, perhaps even

more than Miles himself. Amy had grown very fond of Cosmo over the years, and was always seeking out new ways to help her

with adjusting to her new life. Amy was also not adverse to doling out relationship advice to Cosmo on the side, faulty as some

of it may have been. Sonic didn't know too much about that, so he didn't dwell to long on it. He did dwell on their close

companionship, which was one of the primary factors she had been taking her death so hard. Sonic couldn't blame her on that

respect, if he had learned Miles had died he would have freaked too. Which is not too be saying he didn't feel sadness over

Cosmo's death, such a notion would be absurd and profoundly untruthful. Most of the damage was on the inside rather than

out, and Amy now looked up to him for support and as a shoulder. He would do his weeping later; right now Amy needed him

for what little he could offer.

Sonic noticed that Miles was working on his machine like a man possessed, an look of intense concentration lined his features

into an expression Sonic had never seen before on his best friend's face. Before that day he did not even think he was capable

of such an expression. It seemed to convey a sense of confidence and meticulousness that would have been creepy in almost

any other circumstance. Sonic never knew Miles to be overly confident, meticulous maybe, but he never expressed the aura of

one who was completely confident with himself or his abilities. Such as it was, Sonic also believed that Miles had perfected a

great invention. His earlier guilt over leaving behind Cosmo, when he went to hurl them both away from the bullet was

dissolving quickly, rapidly being replaced with a great ease and calm. Neither Amy nor Sonic knew of how hard Miles was

straining to get his creation to work.

Only Miles knew full well the limitations of his creation. As much as he strained to ward away his thoughts of failure, they still

loomed uneasily over him. Whispers of failure, mocking screams of pain, hollow words of hate; they seemed to claw at his very

soul. Even the very moon seemed to mock him, looking up at the satellite as he worked. In attempts to shift his attention to

anything but the lingered threats that crawled throughout the air like monsters. Grasping and foaming to regain his attention.

The moon offered no solace, instantly contorting its features into a dark wicked grin. The craters were like eyes, and a

streak of mountains on the lower half of the moon served as a makeshift smile of horror. Before his eyes the moon changed

again, this time a reflection of Cosmo herself appeared perfectly on its grayish surface.

She was splayed across the entire surface of the moon, or at least the side visible by himself. She was lit by an unearthly

grayish glow that seemed to resonate from the moon itself, and not the powerful light of the sun. Yet it was a hauntingly

graphic view of her dead. Her mouth was open in a silent scream of horror; crawling with maggots. The sides of her mouth

were covered in sores and blisters. Her teeth were cracked and had holes in them, each tooth stained with a yellow taint. The

tongue was puffing up to unbelievable thickness, blocking the hallucination's air pipes. Small white eggs burst on the tongue

itself, like blisters might if pressure was applied. Maggots popping out of the eggs, coated with blood. Pouring over each other,

the maggots' were writhing. The small, white, and disgustingly bulbous creatures were struggling to escape their rotting

confines. More and more maggots poured into the mouth from the swollen tongue. Eventually the tongue collapsed, sucking

the snarling vicious creatures into the vortex of its throat as they vanished from view. The corneas seeming to dilate and

enlargen, eventually bursting open as hideous and grotesque worms poured out of the sockets. Each worm crawling and

squirming out of their open prisons, covered in small dashes of eye fluids. Snarling at him, each worm on reaching the hardened

ground before the image; died. They were crowding the area surrounding her body, like one would flowers at a funeral. The

worms disappeared, they didn't fade, they just vanished in the time it would take to snap ones fingers. In their stead, Wounds

began to open on the body, wounds that had not been there when she died. Blood seemed to drain from her body onto the

sides of the moon. The moon in response turned red, blood red. The grey, indifferent rocks and soils across the lunar surface,

rapidly flooding into shrieking rivers of dark red ichors'. Torrential rivers of blood flowing across the moon's surface. Bubbling

and steaming as if in a hot kettle. The blood disappeared as the worms and maggots before it, leaving behind a terrifying word

that hit Miles the hardest out of all the sanity devouring mirages and hallucinations.

Failure

Miles gulped inwardly, his mind reeling from the tensions that had arisen. All the distorted images had left him, and the shrieks

of mocking fled with them to some distant place far away from where he stood. He continued hitting keys far past the point he

could have finished at. He was, unknowingly, writing down words, then sentences, and finally paragraphs of extraneous

information into the machines databanks. Each word detailing his deepest sorrows and fears; every letter plead for another

chance. He wrote close to seven paragraphs before he realized he had gone too far. He took a glance to his right, noticing that

Sonic and Amy were awaiting his completion with bated breaths; neither saying a word. Perhaps they had caught on to the

severe disadvantage they were at with this device, then again probably not. He shook his head visibly, a sign Amy took for a

failure of some sort. Her earlier cheer had dissipated quickly. Realizing his mistake Miles hastily flipped a large switch to the

sides of the machine, and watched as it floated confidently over to its target.

The machine began to glow bright blue. At reaching its target it began to spin, slowly at first. The speed increased dramatically;

soon the machine seemed to be a glowing blue wisp of fire in the darkened air. A beacon of hope in such a dark place, it

glowed with the luminosity of a thousand suns in that cold black air. It warded off the darkness, as the shadows hissed at the

invention with frightened contempt. The contempt became fear, as the shadows fled the scene. Horrified terror gnawed at their

figures as the light consumed the dark. The entire plaza was suddenly engulfed in the brilliant blue, a beautiful sight. The rain

itself, the purveyor of gloom, seemed to disintegrate in its light. The rain suddenly stopped; the clouds withdrawing from the

area, as fearful as the darkness had been of this new foe. Wisps of electricity crackled in the air around the group, as both

Sonic and Amy beheld this sight with wonder. Amy reached a hand out cautiously, as if still wondering if such an action would

be safe. She was too far in to back out now, and her hand smoothly caressed the glow. "Wow…" She breathed, noticing with a

child-like joy her very breath was illuminated in the glow. She giggled. She couldn't help herself; it just burst out of her. A truly

melodious sound, as if confirming everything would be alright now. All the emotions she had pent up after Cosmo's death

seemed to emanate off that giggle. It lasted only a short time, but in that instant Miles felt a whole lot better. He hadn't the

foggiest clue why either, it was like he was just being pulled along with her joy. He liked the feeling, and basked in it for the

short time it enveloped him. In that moment, everything was right, everything was perfect. He felt he could take on the world,

as if death itself shrunk from his presence. His notions that his device would fail were thrown, no hurled, out of some great

meta-physical window in his conscience. He was supremely confident, his resolve flared yet again in his eyes. This was going to

work.

Sonic looked at Amy with amazement, he hadn't realized how beautiful her voice was. The melody itself, while only a giggle,

was so pure and sweet he didn't know whether to barf or to cry. The emotion he usually experienced when he watched the

kind of sickeningly sweet ending, to a sappy summer romance. Yet he knew for a fact he would not pick the former option, and

then amazed himself as he began to tear. He couldn't stop himself, as he realized how precious she was to him. Her voice, her

voice could be snatched up at any time. She could be lying dead in her own pool of blood one day, and that thought made him

think of his former option not un-kindly. He was suddenly hit by how angelic she looked in the crackling blue-light. How the light

seemed to dance around her form, like a gleeful child learning the first steps to dance. He realized now, more than ever, what

Miles must be going through right now. As treacherous as this thought seemed to be, he managed to brush Miles out of his

thoughts. He would worry, perhaps more than necessary, about Miles and his tragedy later. Right now, it was Amy. He grasped

her form lovingly, as Amy looked behind her startled. She had tensed up noticeably with fear, but relief washed over her when

she discovered the identity of her assailant.

She didn't break away from his embrace, though she thought this an odd time for such a maneuver. Success was so close, so

why did he hold her now when victory was at hand? Did he think that perhaps the endeavor would fail? His gloved hands

weaved tenderly across her shoulders. She grasped it kindly, and gazed deeply into his emerald eyes. She took what solace

she could from his wizened gaze. While on the surface Sonic's eyes welled with joy, below that façade despair reigned. Her

solace was not very comforting. She decided to voice her anxiety. "Do you think this could fail?" She asked him, half-hoping 

for a loud and commanding shout of NO! She received no such comfort as Sonic voiced his opinion. The blue, whimsical, light

seemed to make his words resound a thousand times greater.

"The key word being "could". It will probably work swimmingly. Yet, that's too easy isn't it? If I have one instinct I still trust

worth a damn any more, it's that nothing is ever as easy as it seems." Sonic stated calculatedly, his voice seeming cold and

heartless to Amy. Her earlier cheer was completely gone, replaced with a somber tone as she eyed the resuscitator still

spinning. It was not doing anything else. She realized with a tinge of unease that the blue light had left the area, as if

retreating from her thoughts. _Perhaps it's broken? Perhaps it will malfunction? Perhaps Mile's has no idea what subtle aspects of _

_life he is tinkering with. _Then to her bewilderment another thought oozed out into her skull. A voice different from any she was

used to hearing when she thought. Yet it wasn't evil, but it wasn't good either. Whatever was worming its way into her

thoughts was some middle ground. It spoke to her, whatever this new opinion was. Yet while the force itself was some murky

middle, the message was an altogether different matter. _Perhaps it is destiny. Perhaps this was all meant to pass. Perhaps… _

_perhaps… perhaps… _The voice seemed to be on an eternal loop inside her skull. The thought hurt her ears, blood dripped out of

her left lobe slightly. The voice didn't stop. Like a broken record on the worst part of a song, it was in mocking. Sonic was

talking to her.

"Hey are you all right? You're bleeding… what's going on? Amy… AMY? AMY!?" Sonic shouted, his fear gripping his arms and

legs. This fear, in part, prompting him to shake her like a limp rag-doll, still no response. Miles was too caught up in his own

thoughts to pay them any heed, fingers crossed in anticipation of success.

Amy couldn't hear Sonic's words; she could barely feel his touch as this voice seemed to spread. The voice echoed loudly

throughout her bones, throughout her organs, throughout her soul. Her eyes began to glaze over; Sonic resorted to a

desperate measure. Her dizzying half smile prompting him to such an extreme as he squeezed his eyes shut. He brought out

his hand, and slapped her smartly across the face.

Amy gave a large wince of pain, as she was brought back from whatever void was enveloping her. A final voice rang through

her head, this one louder than any previous voice. The voice was furious, and it screamed and screamed as she struggled to

escape its grasp.

_DESTINY! DESTINY! DESTINY! DESTINY! DES-_

She awoke from her daze, feeling a sharp pain whip across her face. Instinctively she brought a hand up to her cheek, wincing

again as new pain shot through the area. She brought her hand back to her surveying eyes, no blood. She could draw an

accurate conclusion of what had happened. Well, as far as 

what force smacked her cheek. Instead of rage, she found an odd happiness. What should have insinuated an argument or

even a fight, she was laughing a bit crazily instead. The terrible condition of her faces various cosmetic applications, combined

with her increasingly banshee-like wail, gave her a supremely demented look. Her happiness had been nothing but a thinly

veiled facade, she realized with her own kind of horror. She couldn't stop; she began to cry over her new condition. She could

feel herself losing control, her own conscience having completed its self-destructive task.

Sonic was worried now more than ever. While her eyes had returned to their natural hue, the demented laugh that was now

issuing from her lips was not the replacement emotion he had wanted. He grasped her shoulders, and gave her yet another

firm shake. Her eyes were twitching irregularly, blinking away tears as they streamed down her cheeks. He continued in his

attempts to snap her out of her daze by shaking her unresponsive form. He was terrified now; she had never acted this way

before. Far as he knew. Her increasingly erratic behavior was frightening him terribly. Her high pitched, giggly and unnatural

laugh echoed throughout the small section of the city they dwelt in. Sonic tried to reason over the horrid voice, but it seemed to

echo within his mind as well. He could hear Amy's voice, shrieking with insane sorrow and despair within the confines of his

skull. In his, now fractured, way of thinking there was only one way to help her. He dis-continued his efforts to shake the crazy

out of her, instead opting to use soothing words to snap her out of her apparent insanity-laced trance.

"The machine will work; everything is going to be alright." Sonic whispered in her ear in rather anti-climactic terms. It was a

simple, and intensely clichéd thing to say, but her reaction was immediate and gratifying. The shriek had stopped; she was now

gazing at him with a child-like wonder. She felt better for it too, as her fairly fractured earlier way of thinking melted away. Her

control returned; she was instantly grateful for that. She spoke slowly, letting her words fill the void of actions and feeling.

"Do you really believe that? I mean even if- "Sonic cut her off, and Amy noticed with some fear that he was tearing up openly

now. She realized he was as frightened as she was, probably as desperate as well.

"Shhh, don't doubt yourself. Just accept that this will work. Were all too close to the edge to doubt ourselves. Please, don't go

insane with self doubt." Sonic looked away, as if in shame of the fact he was weeping openly. His change of view brought Miles

into his field of vision. The machine was still whirring, and it wasn't clear what it was doing at this point. The blue light seemed

to have been its only affect on them. Miles was muttering something to himself which Sonic strained to hear but couldn't. He

felt Amy's hand brush against his face, and snapped back to face her. Leaving Mile's alone in his thoughts, whatever they may

be.

Amy looked upon him tenderly, recent events having been too much for both of them. Her hand seemed to glide flittingly along

his cheeks, almost as if surveying his apparent reality in an un-real world. Her eyes watered somewhat, but she managed to

keep tears at bay. Everything about him seemed too perfect to be true. She realized she needed more than a simple hand

gesture.

Amy suddenly launched herself on him; Sonic was so taken aback by that action that he teetered unevenly for a while before

righting himself. Amy was now grasping him by the waist, and then she cried. "Don't ever leave me Sonic. Don't even think

about leaving me all alone here. Don't ever die, don't-" She was brought out of her pleading by the presence of Sonic's hand,

gently attempting to lift her chin to face him. She obliged immediately, as she lost herself in his eyes that now seemed to

stretch forever, far beyond mere optic tools. He began to speak, and Amy listened intently.

"I will not leave you here to fend for yourself; I would never dare attempt such an action." He replied with a hypnotic tone of

voice that had Amy believing him completely. Yet she felt compelled to ask him for a favor.

"Promise me then, don't do the 'cross my heart hope to die' bullshit. Just promise me, that's all the reassurance I will ever

need." Amy pleaded with him, striving for some insurance in his claim.

To Sonic's own astonishment he let loose a half-smile. It lasted only for a second, but that's all that was needed to

communicate his confirmation to Amy. Yet he continued anyway, using his words to bring her the reassurance she desperately

needed. "I promise you then, but only if you will promise me the same." He finished by grasping her hands and gently moving

them away from his waist. He clasped his hands in hers, as she strived to find the words to confirm his statement. She found

them rather easily.

"I promise! Oh god… I promise you." She began to tear up, and to her bewilderment and slight shame; they were of joy. Even

as Cosmo lay dead, she had managed to squeeze out tears of joy and she felt ashamed. Sonic seemed to know what was on

her mind as he let loose a sigh. They both stood silently for a minute, collecting their thoughts. As they stood there trying vainly

to think of things to comfort the other, it happened. They both heard the rumble and turned around in shock to find the

resuscitator…


	12. Hope

Beginning to emit stuttering pulses of neon blue light. With every outburst of power, the effect became more and more

enthralling. The light was different than before, frequently seeming to shift colors, while still remaining blue. The machine

suddenly stopped its aural display. The beeping stopped, the machine hovered motionlessly. Nobody moved, fearing any

movement could interrupt whatever delicate process might be taking place within the confines of the resuscitator. The device

began to shoot lightning from the magnificent stone that adorned its center. The stone gleamed brighter and seemed to be its

own light, as the lightning continued to blast out of it in seemingly random directions. Loud noises, like thunder, accompanied

every strike of lightning. The sound was deafening, to the point that the group now covered their ears from the ferocious din

of the sound-waves.

"WHATS GOING ON TAILS?!" Sonic found himself screaming, trying to voice his question over the almost impenetrable din of

noise that surrounded them. Miles however, heard him through the din and turned his head slowly to meet his gaze. His eyes

were confident; Sonic noticed then that Miles had the utmost faith in his invention. Sonic couldn't have known that just a few

minutes earlier Miles feared his invention would fail, such was the effect of his newfound gaze. Sonic noticed Mile's open his

mouth, and strained to hear his response.

"THE DEVICE SEEMS TO BE ABSORBING ENERGY FROM ITS SURROUNDINGS!"

"IS THAT DANGEROUS?" Sonic exclaimed in question, absorbing energy from surrounding areas did not seem like a safe

maneuver to his mind.

"I REALLY DON'T KNOW, NOR CARE. THE DEVICE WASN'T DESIGNED TO ABSORB ENERGY, BUT WITH THE HELP OF THE SURELY

HIGH AMOUNTS OF ENERGY NEARBY, THE INVENTION HAS GOT TO WORK!" Miles shouted in reply, too wrapped up in his

fantasy world to bother with such trivial matters as safety. He needed Cosmo, and he would do anything to get her back. That

was a fact he wasn't afraid to admit to himself, or others who may inquire. Sonic bit his lip and said no more on the subject;

he knew when to back down. The apparent danger of the device went ignored, for the time being.

Amy was content, listening to bits and fractured sentences of this conversation. She was too focused on, for lack of a better

word, willing the device to succeed. Bleary eyes strained her vision, until the shapes of Sonic and Miles were nothing more

than indistinct smudges on a somewhat filmy surface. Her sense of hope had heightened to a peak after seeing the

resuscitator in action. She thought that perhaps her silent prayers could spin some omnipresent celestial wheel in their favor,

that perhaps one final push was necessary. She clung to that hope desperately, as the lightning continued to spew forth from

the device. As time trudged slowly forward, the lightning became more and more focused. Each bolt was beginning to strike in

one direction along with others, seeming to inch ever closer to Cosmo's unmoving corpse. The suspense was nerve-wracking,

leaving them all speechless. Each lost in their own thoughts and desires.

Sonic thought to himself, waiting for something miraculous to happen. He had attempted to speak some word or phrase of

comfort, but found himself held back. This was no time for words, a time of reflection perhaps. He decided to follow his gut

instinct. He started to think, rather aimlessly at first. His thoughts quickly formulated into coherent phrases and questions. _My _

_god, this might actually work. How the hell __did Tails figure this out? I suppose it doesn't matter now. I don't want a repeat of what _

_happened after Dark Oak. Yet, hoping won't change a damn thing now. If the device fails how will Tails respond to that? How drastic _

_of a measure would he be willing to attempt? Suicide? I have to decide now, how could I help him if he goes suicidal? Jesus, I didn't _

_help him at all after Cosmo died. I just left him alone and then… I thought it was just a phase… Ignorant, uncaring even. I was too _

_obsessed with my status as hero, to pay heed to his increasing plight. How odd that it was on that bright and happy day, that Tails _

_should attempt suicide. I can still remember how frenzied Amy was when she called me, I was just out running around. Bored, and _

_trying to beat my previous racing records. Reflecting on what a fool I was, especially in the context of this situation; reminds me of _

_how much I've changed since then. Now that the glamour and stardom has worn off somewhat, now I realize that I need to protect _

_those closest to me. The danger has been escalating steadily for years, being the fool that I was; I ignored it. Perhaps I didn't care. _

_Now I do, after everything that I have been too blind to see has been revealed. Now, I will do everything in my power to help Tails; if _

_worst comes to worst. Seeing him in the Emergency Room with eight different plastic tubes pinned into him; helped me realize that _

_his condition was most definitely not just a phase. Well, perhaps I was wrong earlier. Perhaps I could beg a prayer or two from the _

_big guy. C'mon… just give us a miracle... please._ Sonic thought with a finish as his hands slowly clasped together, head bowing

down to touch them. He could feel the sweat through the thick coating of his gloves. He solemnly stood there, unmoving,

praying almost frantically for a miracle.

Amy was also lost amongst her various thoughts. Amongst the frenetic hopes of success, her thoughts were deeply varied

and all revolved around the hope that the invention would succeed. An almost simple desire, yet death was never a simple

matter. While she knew that fact well, she was still under the impression she could spin the celestial wheel in their favor. She

decided to spend some time trying to divert her attention from the ever-present entity that was failure. _Ok, think happy… think _

_happy, god this just isn't right. Thinking happy thoughts... at a time like this? How can I do that? Thanks to Sonic, all my optimism _

_is gone. No, that isn't fair. Not to him. He just gave me a reality check, and then did a 180 by telling me to believe this would work. _

_But, I can't just believe things will just… work out. I feel so helpless; praying won't do me much good here. Glad I'm done with _

_that waste of time. One of the few things to be glad about in this sort of situation; I suppose. It's all in Tail's hands now, him and _

_his resuscitator. All I can do is stand here, and either watch my friend miraculously come to life; or stay dead and begin to rot. _

_Cosmo...of all the people one could murder... why her? What a cruel joke fate is. Fate… what exactly is fate? Are our lives all pre-_

_destined? Is there even such a thing as free-will in this world? No, I don't want to delve into such a topic. That is the prime topic of _

_mad-men and lunatics. Such a question could drive most anyone insane if one really thought about it, truly thought about... _

_destiny. What the hell happened to me earlier? What was that voice? Maybe I am going a little crazy, hard to imagine me getting out _

_of this unscathed. Yes, I'm just going a little cuckoo. Have to get my act together. Oh please, just… everything work out. Maybe _

_praying wasn't such a big waste of time after all… _She didn't bother with hand-folding, merely nodding her head forward.

Whispering her own little prayer to whoever might listen.

Tails himself was too entranced by the resuscitator to bother with praying. His machine was working far better than he had

ever thought possible, given its recent performance issues. He even managed a slight grin, the happiest thing that had

happened to him after Cosmo expired. The thought that this was working, the thought that he had finally managed to protect

her, filled him with a great sense of accomplishment. Ever since she had returned from beyond the grave; that had been his

goal. A goal he had seemingly failed, until now. He could tell from the increasingly focused lightning strikes that the time of

reckoning was near. Do or die time, he intended to achiever the former. He would accomplish his goal, which had been bred of

his own past failures. Failures he was loathe to speak of. His failures to accomplish a task in time, complete an invention, or

even save the life of someone he loved. His many crushing failures weighed him down heavily from time to time, even now.

While victory seemed at hand, his various shadows and tormented thoughts haunted him still. With the angelic blue light

gone, they had returned. Sometimes they seemed to whisper words, or as close to words as he could strain to hear. Mostly

whatever they spoke was gibberish. Random letters or sounds stretched into words with spaces in-between. Even the calm

and confident stance he had discovered couldn't help him with his own personal demons. "_Live, embrace life. Unbridled by the _

_torment and hatred of those who could never understand." _The voice snapped him into a kind of frenzy. Straining to remember

where he had heard that before. He knew enough about his demons, which was odd enough in its own way, to know that

they always spoke some truth. Some past event, some experience he had encountered. The memory stretched beyond Dark

Oak, beyond Chaos, beyond even his first meeting with Sonic. That was when he stopped, though stopped isn't an entirely

accurate word. Halted immediately would be a far better choice of verbatim. What he knew of his demons, he knew about

himself and his memories as well. This memory stretched passed a sort of door, a door he had sworn never to open. That will

that action, was far stronger than the demons themselves. The demons fled, afraid of this will; almost bestial in nature. A

primal fear, the fear that makes one forget everything else. A fear of something all living things seemed to share, in one way

or another. What one may fear in spiders, another may fear in fire. The thing one is most afraid of is a powerful motivator for

action. What lay beyond that door, was perhaps his primal fear. Though if it wasn't, he still would not venture past the safety

of that mental door. Whatever may lie behind such a door is usually never good. He was fine with that fact, as long as he

didn't have to meet it. It could scratch and claw and beg and scream, as long as it couldn't reach him he didn't care. Finding

solace in that thought, he turned his attentions to his resuscitator. He realized with joy that it was nearing the beginning of

the actual resuscitation process. The lightning had found its focus, and had completed the final stages of the initiation

process. He quickly alerted his friends with a triumphant yell of "IT'S STARTING!" This roused their attentions mighty damn

quick. He completely forgot about the locked door in his mind, and whatever had reason to lie behind it.

The device spun around faster than it ever had before, the occasional glimmer reflecting off the stone in the moonlight. They

all wore the same expression of awe, and bewilderment on their faces. The machine began to strike a continuous stream of

lightning onto its target, the recently deceased corpse of Cosmo. The blue lightning continuously spewed out of the device,

seeming to convey life itself in its beauty. The once brief flashes that had emanated earlier from the resuscitator, had become

continuous enough to form a sort of constant light source around the machine. The thoughts flowing through each characters

heads were about the same as their almost constant expression; work. An innate desire that was powerful enough to infuse

itself front and center within each of their minds. Out of all the thoughts that had managed to find space within their skulls,

this thought seemed the most important of them all at the time. Considering the stakes, that was not difficult to understand.

While this thought occupied their minds almost completely, other thoughts managed to bump themselves in from time to time

throughout the display. Mainly these other thoughts revolved around what the person would do if the machine succeeded and

normalcy was returned, more or less, to its original state.

Amy had rehearsed her response earlier, when she had first realized that Miles had not been joking about the effects of his

machine. Sonic had been too preoccupied with the bleakness of the situation, and his own doubts, to have created a suitable

response earlier. Now that the situation seemed to be brightening considerably, he figured he might as well be somewhat

prepared on what he would say if the invention miraculously succeeded. He began to concentrate his attention on a response

revolving around the notion that she would, quite obviously, wonder how she had managed to be reborn from the dead. He

began to concentrate his effort on that line of thinking, becoming so entrenched in his thoughts that he was barely noticing

the machine's effects.

Miles did not concern himself with rehearsing responses, not even acknowledging such an option existed. His attentions were

focused on his machine, and its chances of success continually looped around his mind. He observed the lightning bolts that

his invention was aiming at the corpse of his friend, with a mathematical outlook focusing primarily on the probability of

success. He knew his inventions many short-comings all too well, but also accounted the fact that the invention was

absorbing energy from around its environment. He figured the resuscitator would be partaking heat energy, that was the

energy source he had used in his last experimental test run of his device on a recently deceased rat. The machine had failed,

as he thought it would. He had done that particular test-run in an effort to understand why the machine had not actually

succeeded in reviving the dead. It was then he had learned of the massive amounts of energy needed to sustain the

inventions targets, and thinking back to that number instantly lowered his hopes somewhat. He stopped the analysis of his

invention; he figured it would be better for his hopes if he just watched the invention. Watch and wait that was the best plan

he could come up with. Given that thought, he felt next to useless as he observed his machine continue its efforts.

The machine was increasing in power, thereby increasing the magnitude of its efforts to revive its target. The heat energy it

had managed to absorb from the surrounding air and inanimate objects was greater than Miles had ever hoped to expect

from his miraculous invention. Within the machine, which blanketed the stone that comprised its center, gears moved and

circuits thrived on the power that was rushing through the stone itself. The amplifier was activating, lying dormant all that

time. Given its severely increased power inputs, the machine was finally finished with its initiation process. With the

information on the target afforded by its creator, the machine had calculated that it had enough energy to perform a

successful resuscitation. With this knowledge in hand, the machine began the final phase of the resuscitation process.

Remaining cold and indifferent to the pleas and hopes of the people that surrounded it.

The lightning changed color, becoming a bright crimson red. Arcs of the lightning darted out sporadically, as if the machine

couldn't handle the immense amounts of power that were surely surging within. Miles opened his eyes wide in excitement,

anticipation, and a little fear. The process was starting. The change of color was synonymous with the change that had

occurred in all his other experiments, when the amplifier itself activated. He also knew that the resuscitator itself activated the

amplifier even if there wasn't enough power, which went against the machines on-board programming that instructed it to

begin only if there was enough energy to complete the resuscitation. That program seemed to be perpetually on the fritz, and

the machine had only actually worked once; on a dead beetle. He had tried to increase the size of the specimens able to be

revived, but their never seemed to be enough power to achieve his goals. He didn't know what was wrong with his invention

this time, but it seemed to be helping him achieve his goals instead of hindering them. He didn't really care what was wrong

with the device anyway; all that mattered was if it worked. Soon enough he would know; he would know if the massive

amounts of time and effort he had applied in his creation would pay off. Then all would be right with the world.


	13. Success

The crimson red lightning arcs of the device had changed colors yet again, becoming a pure white light. What had been arcs of

electricity; had changed into rays. These rays pierced the darkness, in what might have been a metaphor in some foreign art-

house or children's film. The rays seemed to seethe out of the machine itself, faint glimmers of light seeming to poke out of

the various panels of the machine. The arcs that had been focused on Cosmo earlier were now flaring wildly in almost every

direction. The night seemed to flee from the seemingly immense power of the resuscitator. What had once been a somewhat

melancholic night, had transformed into an odd sort of twilight. The pure rays of the resuscitator with what remained of the

dark, combined to form the eerie effect. An effect that was both horrifying and yet, undeniably beautiful. The new twilight of

the plaza, seemed to be hopeful and foreboding; yet another odd metaphor that had no base. The respective ideals that both

light and darkness both seemed to contain in such perfect harmony, created an almost universal feeling of foreboding in the

three that stood alone to view this twilight. The twilight seemed to be in itself a metaphor, though for what they could not

grasp. From that idea came a question, a question that seemed to have some terrible power contained within it. A subtle

thing, yet at the same time immense. What was the twilight?

The transformation in both color and shape was an odd one, and increased the confusion of its creator even more significantly

than it already had. Miles didn't dwell on his confusion for long, deciding to delve into the matter of why the machine had lost

its focus. Once the resuscitation process had started, that was when the machine was supposed to, well, resuscitate. For a

moment, it had even looked like the machine was focusing on its target. Until; the resuscitator had done something

unexpectedly; once again. Miles knew for a fact that the resuscitator had never done this before, had never had a white light.

It also had never used rays as its method of resuscitation, Miles having discovered early on that lightning arcs had proven

more effective, well, slightly more effective. Yet here it was, seeming to go completely against all of its programming. Miles had

no idea why the device was going so haywire, and also knew that he couldn't fix it, at least not now. With such power

rushing through the machine, merely grasping the damn thing would probably kill the person who was unfortunate enough to

have tried. Though, seeing the way things were going with his life now; such a prospect didn't seem like a bad idea. That

thought made him tear up faintly. His mind couldn't cope with the death of Cosmo, and he knew already how fragile it had

proven to be. With seemingly no way to fix his invention, he waited in bated breath. Once again finding himself praying to

some higher power, that the machine would come to its senses and focus. Another thought crawled into his head just then,

one he tried to clear away. Frantically tried, yet it remained for as long as it needed too. Having completed its malicious

mission, the thought seemed to leave with a smile. Seeing as how disjointed and fractured his thoughts had become of late,

such an occurrence seemed almost completely plausible to Miles. What was worse was the thought itself, a sinister notion. A

notion that Miles knew couldn't be true and yet, as far back as he could remember, seemed to ring true. The thought that god

had abandoned him, and the facts of his life seemed to confirm it; was almost too difficult to bear in his present state. _What _

_cruelty is it, when one loses a loved one not once; but twice? How can it be that just when I thought everything was going so _

_perfect… that she should be snatched yet again? What kind of sick twisted fuck would allow someone to be brought back from the _

_dead, only to die a few months later? Is my life a joke? Have I lived my life through someone's idea of a comedy? This is too much, _

_too much for now. As terrible as I feel now, this __makes everything that much worse. Oh fuck, just work. I don't care if I have every _

_god from every religion lined up against me, just work… I don't know what I'll do if this fails… I can't live like this. _With his solemn

prayer to his own machine complete, Miles stood back and waited. Waited for the miracle he knew would never come. He

cried.

The spectacle that was unfolding within the plaza did not go un-noticed. People could be seen, peeking somewhat fearfully

out of windows and from behind the windshields of cars. This occurrence had happened almost simultaneously, the

tremendous power of the resuscitator seeming to attract attention. Some people ran, frightened beyond belief of the ever

growing twilight. Others approached the machine cautiously, though not as close as the three that had started the machine.

The general atmosphere seemed charged with the primal feeling, the feeling that something completely phenomenal was

about to happen. With all this build up, something had to happen. Though what that something was the citizens had nary a

clue, and that just made the prospect the more intriguing. Even more citizens found themselves fleeing; a feeling of impending

doom was causing them to rush away. The hardy few that remained of the populace, stood almost stoically still. The feeling

grew larger with each passing second, with every flare of energy that seemed to shake the very air. The rays of light darted

out more often; leaving some sounds of awe in their wake from the populace.

Amy found herself wondering whether to ask Miles if this was supposed to happen, but one glance at his form was enough to

tell her even he was at a loss. That distressed her; she needed to know what was going on. It had been almost thirty

minutes since the machine had started, and she was getting antsy. Though she hated herself for the thought, she just

wanted the machine to get it over with. For the machine to succeed or fail, and to end the suspense that seemed to be

gnawing steadily at her conscience. The machine granted her wish.

It was sudden. Too sudden, too quick for reactions. Seeming to travel faster than even the thoughts of the populace, an

immense pillar of light speared out of the machine. The sound was tremendous, almost non-existent. The sound-waves

shattered glass seemed to crack the very walls and streets of the plaza. The effect was deafening, the sheer force of the

sound seeming to drive even those farthest away. In her dazed state of conscience, Amy could feel the ground cracking

beneath her. Everything seemed to move slowly, as she effortlessly sailed through the air. She didn't even feel herself slam

against the brick wall, then fall to the ground. She could see the others, though in her state she didn't even seem to know it.

They were flying too, almost majestic. She thought she heard someone scream her name, she couldn't think of a name. She

didn't really care, content to lie on the floor. Too numb to feel pain, she felt almost blissful. Her eyes saw, but her mind didn't

register her visions coherently. She saw Sonic and Miles, both also against walls. Sonic had been the luckier of the two,

having skimmed the wall at an angle. Miles hit the wall full force, though in her mind, he seemed to be moving too slowly to be

hurt. Her eyes also saw the populace, who were too far away to feel the brunt of the blast. Nonetheless, they also seemed to

fly. Her field of vision was dramatically lowered when she felt her right eyelid drop. It had felt heavy, too heavy to support.

She accepted this fact with no resistance. Heavy things weren't worth supporting, though in her mind even that thought was

fragmented beyond recognition. She merely acted, and her act meant the drooping of her right eye. Her remaining eye

scanned the horizon almost of its own accord, having lost most connection to the muddled thoughts of its character. The eye

saw the machine, saw the brilliant light that was shining out of the machine. The din had ended, though Amy could still hear

the ringing. It was a pleasant sound, and Amy accepted that as well. Moving back to her functioning eye, which was now

transfixed on the sight of the white rays of the resuscitator. The machine was focusing its tremendous power on the corpse of

Cosmo; Amy didn't register the sights her eye was seeing. Still too dazed to even partially comprehend the magnitude of

what was occurring, the resurrection had begun. Though her mind recognized only a pretty light, her eye saw the corpse

begin to move. The light seeming to awaken the figure, whose hands, seemed to move along with the breeze. Fingers could

be seen twitching, legs convulsing. A pair of eyes opened, adjusting to the light. A head rose slightly. The rays were still

bathing the figure, and the effect was beautiful. A mouth moved, and words came out that couldn't be heard. Amy herself

didn't care for the words anyway, she liked the pretty show. The extent of her thoughts, remaining focused on that central

idea of prettiness. The shoulder rose, as hands darted out to support the upper body. Hands that seemed angelic in the light,

completely perfect and flawless. The head began to move side to side, inspecting the area. Unsure of what had just occurred.

Unaware of the monumental force of the resuscitator, and through her eye she saw Miles. Her mind in its somewhat primitive

state caused by the noise did not care for him. He was not pretty; her eye however saw that Miles was crying. Miles was

yelling, yelling something that the eye couldn't possibly register. Her ears that could have informed her were too busy being

droned too by the consistent ringing sound, the after effect of the massive sonic-boom. Her eye seemed to register that the

two were talking; both Miles and Cosmo were alternating lip movements. What was being said was a mystery. Her eye could,

however, register the sense of sadness that seemed to enshroud each figure. Suddenly, the light was gone. The resuscitator

fell to the ground. Her functioning eye saw Cosmo fall. Her eye registered what her fuddled mind could not, the resuscitator

had somehow failed. Her eye saw Miles shaking, slowly at first then with an increased momentum that seemed to be

convulsing throughout his body. Her eye was so busy on the scene, that she spared no notice of Sonic. Her mind didn't care;

it however felt an emotion akin to sadness when the pretty light faded. Her eye saw Miles fall to the ground, hands on the

grim rocky flooring of the plaza. He was screaming, and her eyes could sense the combined force of loneliness and depression

that seemed to grip every action of his form. His eyes were bugged, and blood red. The pupils were wide, having grown

considerably larger with the absence of the light. He was still screaming, and his lips had formed an insanely smooth smile.

Her eye knew then he was not screaming, he was laughing. Crazily, the look in his eyes was a look that was both demented

and hollow. He remained in that state for almost four minutes, each expulsion of breath seeming to convey his hopelessness.

After the four minutes, he stopped. He fell face down on the floor; blood was oozing steadily out of a small wound a jagged

stone had gouged on his arm. By the look of his face, it didn't look like he knew or cared. Much like the mindset of the eye's

character, he simply looked defeated. Though her thoughts did not seem to register this event, her open eye watered. Soon

the tears could not be stopped. In this dazed, semi-conscious state, her ears could almost hear a laugh. A demented

tormented sound, not seeming to emanate from anyone in the plaza. The laugh seemed to be coming from her own mind, and

it was suddenly everywhere. Drowning out the ringing din. Her remaining eye closed, as she slipped into unconsciousness.

Even in this state she could hear it, the speechless voice mocking the resuscitators failure. As the Seedrian fell, never to

return.


	14. Memory

We must now turn our attentions away from the drama that is rapidly unfolding in Station Square. At the risk of missing

potentially important plot details, one loose end must be tied before this part of the story can close. Within the darkness of

the forest, a silence reigned. Close inspection would reveal that the crickets did not chirp, and the birds flew silently. The

various fauna of the jungle seemed to recognize the presence of another creature, not to be trifled with. Insects could be

spotted scurrying for cover, in such a hurry as to leave behind the food that they had searched for so long to find. The

larger animals hid behind the towering trees, dark and imposing in the faint moonlight. As fierce and battle-hardened as

some of these creatures may be, they did not lie in ambush. The woods took on a decidedly more ominous overtone, helped

greatly in this task by the advancement of the night. The silence was in its own odd way, deafening. What had once been

so familiar, the hoots, hollers, chirps and occasional grunts, all that sound was gone. In its place, the sudden silence; was

frightening in how quickly it had taken root. A darker force was approaching, and the animals seemed to feel its presence by

instinct. Even the flora took notice, seeming to bend away from the intruder. Through the light of the moon, glimpses of this

new figure could be seen in quick bursts. To others it may have seemed almost innocuous, and of little concern to the

average citizen. However, in this new setting, the sense of decay that seemed to emanate off this creature was magnified a

hundred-fold. The man didn't care, or if it did it was hidden beneath a stony countenance. Whatever this new thing was, it

trudged through the underbrush slowly. Its footing seemed unsure, and at various points seemed to slip; causing a fall. The

fall was always succeeded by a stand. The stand was followed by yet more trudging. The process was like clock-work, or as

close to such a simile as could be granted to a creature of flesh and blood. It stopped. Its head moved from one side to the

other, scanning for something. A faint glimmer of a smile could be seen, baring bloody teeth. The teeth of a human, and if

one could observe more closely, one would see the large gnashes within the lips. It began to move again, changing

direction ever so slightly to the right. As the form disappeared amongst the parting foliage, a few animals could be seen

nervously poking their heads from the underbrush. Walking slowly and methodically, some of the braver animals entered

the spot that the figure had once stood. Seeming to communicate with expressions, the most daring critter; a monkey. This

brave little creature began to move towards the foliage that had let past the creature. Trembling paws grasped the edges

of the leaves, pulling aside with a frantic spasm. The figure could once again be seen, though it had turned its back to the

monkey. The monkey then acted more boldly than it had intended, hoping to dispel the intruder by throwing a grimy stone

plucked from the soil. It froze, watching the stone sail in an arc. Landing on the targets head, there was no scream, yell,

howl or noise of any kind. The creature didn't seem to notice it had been struck with a small blunt object, until the rock

bounced forward after the impact. The rock landed with a small thud in front of the creature. Time seemed to stand still, as

the creature stopped. There was only the turning of the being. The monkey's heart seemed to freeze, and it found itself

unable to move. Paralyzed by fear, would be a fitting title to the monkey's predicament. Completing its slow turn, the

creature faced the monkey. The monkey managed to look back, and saw that his co-horts had fled. Realizing this, the

creature gulped instinctively. The creature merely smiled, if such a terrifying grimace could be seen as a smile. Baring its

teeth, jagged strips of flesh dangled from within the mouth. The teeth themselves were crooked and in some cases broken.

Its eyes seemed to glow with a faint red light. Its finger curled, and then unclasped. The figure turned, starting to move

away from the monkey. As the figure disappeared, the monkey turned to find his acquaintances back. The monkey seemed

to smile as it headed back. Until a large black snake appeared out of nowhere, grasping the monkey firmly in its

embrace; and slipping away quick as a lightning. The howls of the monkey could be heard throughout the forest, ending as

a terrifying snapping sound was heard; the sound of bones breaking under force. This event shattered the silence, as the

other animals began to shout and scream. Then there were many snakes, and the screams were silenced as they were all

dragged away. Throughout the brush the sounds of some combat could be heard. Roaring and howling, intermingled with

yelps of pain filled the air. Eventually all was quiet. Blood pooled throughout the small enclave the animals had resided in,

and almost as if in fear, from the depths of some underbrush a monkey flew forward. The monkey's face missing. It jolted

about for a minute, before finally stopping. The many snakes departed just as quickly as they had come, leaving behind as

many dead. Progressing further along the forest, the new figure whispered. Its eyes had lost their glow, and its fingers laid

grasping the air to its side. The whisper seemed far louder, the silence giving them added weight. The trees seemed to

shudder and flail; anything to escape the words of this new menace.

"Shadow…"

With this declarative whisper the figure continued, creating its own path through the labyrinthine forest.

On the other side of the forest, Shadow let out a sigh. Sitting amongst the various branches and tree limbs, he kept watch.

He had found a decent spot, and his elevated position allowed him to see far across the gloomy expanses of the forest.

Beside him, meticulously placed on one of the stronger limbs adjacent to his position; an old leather briefcase rested on its

side. On top of the briefcase, an relatively new walkie-talkie laid. He was thankful for the moonlight's illumination, for

without it his new mission would prove impossible. He was also thankful he wasn't afraid of heights, though not to the

degree he would purposefully venture to look directly below himself. Staring ahead, he could see various trees' swinging

about in the breeze. The rhythmic swaying of the tree limbs, coupled with the somewhat odd lack of background noise, lead

his mind to wander somewhat. His eyes remained open, yet his mind was no longer focusing on the task at hand. He

couldn't believe he had managed to get himself conscripted into one of Eggman's insane schemes, yet again. After the ARK

disaster, he had sworn off almost all contact with the lunatic. Yet, here he was. Acting as a glorified watchdog under orders

from a strict master, the thought alone boiled his blood. He hated being controlled and manipulated. Worse still, the doctor

hadn't even had the decency to inform him what it was to look out for. His only clue was that Eggman was "Expecting

company." That and the crazed look that flickered across the old man's eyes, the look he often gave right before one of his

rants. His "job" was to stop, by any means necessary, any intruders that may wander across the forest into his secret base.

An improvement over his other bases due to the simple fact that he had decided to remove the many sculptures and

portraits of himself from around its location, which helped greatly in keeping the location secret. The afore-mentioned

sculptures and paintings instead resided within his private quarters, the narcissistic prick. He had a hunch he was acting as

a watch in case Sonic and his overly annoying friends decided to traipse around the area. While he had some modicum of

respect for Sonic, who had proven before they were an even match skill-wise, he couldn't stand how stunningly inane and

idiotic his friends were. Amy was gratingly annoying, even her voice unnerved him for its tendency to screech louder than

steel on chalkboard. Though, he did find some enjoyment in her increasingly desperate bids to win over the affections of

Sonic. _He probably finds __her as repulsive as I do. _Shadow thought rather darkly. Knuckles was just stupid. Blindly dating

Rouge, even though it was obvious she was clearly manipulating him. Even the supposedly smart one, Tails, acted stupidly

under duress; his half-hearted attempt at suicide coming to mind. _If he had wanted to die, he could have just rung me up and I _

_would have been more than happy to help._ Shadow found himself thinking, as images of what _he _could do flashed through his

mind. He didn't even want to get started on why he disliked Cosmo, her overly cheery outlook on life being the main

reason. _Life isn't anything to be too happy about, and I would think she would understand that well. Considering the losing hand _

_life dealt her, Tails is all she has left now. That idea, in itself, is rather saddening. _

As his thoughts threatened to enter even darker waters, he was saved by the presence of Maria's voice. The voice that

popped up occasionally whenever his thoughts entered darkened areas. It was always the same, a playback of sorts. Her

final words to him, telling him to help people; no matter how much he yearned for vengeance. If it had been anyone else, he

wouldn't have cared. Yet, it was her. She had asked a favor of him, an immense one. He was obliged to carry out her wish,

not out of pity or remorse; but out of their friendship. He hadn't found himself describing anyone else as a friend that was

why she was so important. So, out of respect to their friendship, he decided to keep look-out again. As his mind phased

back into reality, he took a cursory glance at the briefcase. The whole reason he had agreed to help Eggman, he couldn't

believe it himself when Eggman had told him what was contained within. He was so certain the doctor had been lying, until

he gave a wry smile and opened the case. Contained within were a large set of documents, documents detailing even more

information on his project. It was only a peek, as the suitcase had been bound and closed within the span of a few

seconds. Shadow was about to murder Eggman for the contents, until the doctor had told him about the special lock on the

suitcase. It wasn't a conventional lock, if it had been Shadow could have easily broken it. No, it was some sort of acid trap.

If the device was forced open the trigger would release an acid that would destroy the documents within. A clever bastard,

that damn Eggman. So there he sat, with his entire past literally sitting alongside him. With such an incentive dangling

before him like some proverbial golden carrot, it was almost embarrassing in foresight how quickly Shadow had agreed to

Eggman's terms. With the suitcase as a stimulant, he found his mind wandering to the other members of the research team

on the ARK.

_Let's see, it was Gerald, Lily, Carl, Zane, Manfred, Allen, and… Maria. What was Lily's job? Oh yes, she was in charge of studying _

_and applying genetic material. A bit cold, though her expertise in the area must have done wonders to my own creation. Her blue _

_eyes seemed to hold within them the very knowledge that she was a bit cold-hearted. Her many nastily worded refusals to date _

_Carl, cemented her as the stations local ice-queen. Carl, a young and enthusiastic man in the prime of his life, was in charge of _

_maintenance and repair. A rather hard task considering the sheer size of the ARK, yet, he managed, and was a rather nice guy to _

_have a chat with when one was bored. Maria had told me that he was currently flirting around with Lily, which annoyed her to no _

_end. Though even after every scathing put-down, he managed to right himself with a smile and a hearty vocation of "Maybe next _

_time". Zane, an intelligent young man who had a certain fondness for his "lucky" robes, he was simply on-board because he had _

_managed to obtain a DNA sample that was compatible with the creation of a genetic clone. I suppose I owe him a debt of _

_gratitude, though where he got the sample was a mystery; even to Gerald. __He was also rather nice to chat with, having a few _

_interesting stories of his own. Bringing me too Manfred, a short and rather __pudgy old man hailing from Germany. His thick _

_Germanic accent, never failed to elicit a giggle from Maria. Manfred's job was to help Lily with whatever task she needed the extra _

_intelligence to solve. Then there was Allen… a real ass. Hot-headed and arrogant, he liked to believe he was the "real" brains _

_behind the operation. I suppose that if his job hadn't been as important as it was he would have ended up with a knife in his _

_back. He was in charge with relations with the rest of the world, mainly the U.S. He was a masterful spokesperson, creating his _

_own on-screen persona that was charismatic and confident. Off-screen, however… Many a time, he had tried to bully Gerald into _

_following his own plan. Maria told me that his biggest ordeal had begun concerning the insertion of Doom's cells into my own _

_structure, a small time before I would become officially alive. Yet even before that point, I was sentient. Within the liquid oxygen _

_tank that had contained me, I was aware of certain… tensions. Yes… Now that I think of it… I do remember that argument… _

His mind lapsed, as the world seemed to swirl around in front of him. Quickly grasping a branch to prevent him from

plummeting to the ground, possibly dying on impact. Suddenly, the world seemed to disappear. He closed his eyes, trying to

hide them from the immenseness of the light that now seemed to be everywhere. After a few minutes, he tentatively

opened his eyes. He realized with a start he was not in the forest any longer, he was on the ARK. Looking to his left, he

saw computers and cables crossing each other at odd angles all over the dimly lit room. He saw a hunched figure typing into

one of the computers, and noticed that a needle had begun to rise to his right. A needle attached to a hydraulic arm, filled

with some kind of DNA. He felt his hands banging onto the glass that contained him, realizing with a start he was trapped.

His eyes darted around the room, the hunched man had stood up. His figure still concealed by the lack of light, Shadow

found himself peering ever closer to the figure. He could feel the needle bore a hole into his arm, and realized with a start

that he was changing. His hands began to shake, and looking down to them realized they were melting away. The fluid that

was his hands, were beginning to fill the tank. He tried to scream but found he couldn't, contained in the watery

environment. The pain was excruciating, as he tried to use his feet to kick open the tank. He realized with growing horror

they weren't there, that his entire lower body was missing. Suddenly the room was filled with light, and he could clearly see

the figure before him. He gave a horrified scream; it was Maria in her favorite aqua blue dress. A dead Maria, her face was

pale and gaunt. Her eyes had shrunk to a horrifically small size. A single wound graced her body, directly over her heart. The

figure began to rot. Before his eyes, he saw as Maria's face slid off. What had once been her face was now pooling on the

floor, as her skull gleamed. She began to move closer to the tank, skin dripping off of her body. The eyes fell out of their

sockets, rolling on the floor. The rotting Maria raised a finger to the tank, flesh and blood dripping steadily, revealing bone

intermingled with the remaining skin. She gave a smile, as the bones cracked and her lower jaw fell to the floor. The jaw

collecting the dripping skin, and snapping around the floor; as if having a seizure. He could feel his neck, melting away. He

realized he was simply a head in a contained rapidly filling with his own melted skin and bone. It was drowning him, the

formerly oxygen rich water had turned a murky black. Through the darkness, and horrific sensation of his impending death.

He could hear a voice beyond the tank, a terrifyingly high pitched screech. It echoed in his head, as Maria demolished the

tank. He could feel what was left of her fingers, drilling into his head. The same words screeching into his head.

Everything began to fade, as he heard her voice again. The words still the same, though filled with more melancholy.

As the world shifted back into focus, and the trees could be seen yet again. His first instinct was to recollect what she had

said, his nightmare rapidly being forgotten. He was breathing hard and fast, trying to recollect himself. He stood up for a

second, and then fell back down again. His breathing slowly returned to normal, the leafy branches comforting his aching

body. He gave a somewhat bitter-sweet smile of triumph; he had managed to grasp what she had said; before the

nightmare in its entirety could be delegated to the realm of forgotten things within his mind. Yet what she had said

disturbed him, and saddened him. He began to cry, taking little solace in his memories of her. In his mind, the words

seemed to repeat as if on a broken record. He gave a scream of anger, and sadness as it floated away with the wind. His

voice echoed throughout the forest, sparking birds to fly away from the ferocious and terrifying sound of his scream. His

eyes closed, trying to stem the wave of tears. To no avail, as he turned his head upwards to the sky. From his position,

stars could be seen, glittering and sparkling in the darkness of night. He gave a solemn whisper, what a more religious

individual might have taken for a prayer. Yet it wasn't a prayer, it was more of an apology. As as his whisper ventured

above the clouds, a thought crossed his head. Her voice could still be heard, "Why didn't you save me?" He was ravaged by

guilt. His mind, in response asked a similar question. His mind wandered back to the fateful final minutes of her life, how she

had tricked him into entering the escape pod. Her final words, words he had for so long thought to mean differently; yet

over the past few years coming to understand completely. He slowly stood up, back leaning against the hardened bark of

the tree. Tears once again brimmed to the surface of his eyes, as he gave another scream. A fiercer and more guttural

sound than his previous scream, the sound seemed to shake the very trees in his despair. "WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME SAVE

YOU!?" He cried out, not caring if he was heard. Not caring how others might react to such a statement out of the blue. All

that filled his mind, was that question. He slumped back onto the leaves, tears still caught in his eyes. He gave another

whisper, "Why? I could have saved you... Maria... why?"

So absorbed was he in his torment, that he didn't realize the creature that ambled towards position. Beneath the tree, the

figure stood. This new figure gave a whisper of its own, as it slowly began to climb the tree. Branch by branch it moved,

carefully and stealthily. Its whisper echoed in its mind, "I have found you at last…" Its mouth worded out its thoughts, teeth

gnawing and tearing the skin around the lips. As the cloaked figure continued its ascent of the tree.


	15. Tremor

Shadow was unaware of the creature that was lumbering slowly up the tree he had chosen to reside upon, so lost was he in

his guilt. Eyes closed, with his back arching rigidly against the strong bark of the tree. Amidst his guilty conscience, a new

thought occurred to him. A simple question, but one that his mentality screamed out for an adequate answer. It didn't make

sense to him, what Maria had done didn't add up. He hadn't really thought about it until now, why she had jettisoned him

off the ark. A branch snapped, followed by a loud thumping noise. Shadow heard this, yet didn't care. So involved was he in

this new train of thought. The passing thought that occurred to him during the snap was one of a squirrel weighing a bit too

heavily for a branch; the thought was gone just as quickly as the sound had faded away completely.

_I could have easily defeated a few G.U.N. troopers. For what they had done; I would have done far more than "defeat" them, I _

_would have slaughtered them. So, that brings up the question of why she had been so quick to expel me from the ARK. Did she _

_not trust in my abilities? No, no that can't be it. Perhaps she thought that I would be overwhelmed? Well no, she wasn't stupid. _

_Their couldn't have been more than a few soldiers for a raid to have caught the station by such complete surprise that I was not _

_even aware of it until the alarms had gone off. If I could draw such a conclusion, than undoubtedly she must have as well. Which, _

_once again, brings up that same nagging question. Why didn't she let me save her? She wasn't suicidal… at least I think she _

_wasn't. Did she want to die because everyone, aside from Gerald who would later be executed on trumped-up charges, on the ARK _

_had died? She had taken up residence in the ARK for close to three years. From what I could gather, her parents had died in a car _

_accident. After that incident, Gerald legally adopted her and brought her along with him to the ARK. Aside from a few scattered _

_relatives, and her lazy lout of an older brother; who would go on to spawn the relatively hard-working and insane Eggman oddly _

_enough, she had nobody else to turn too. _

Yet another branch cracked, closer now. Shadow paid no heed, so enraptured by his thoughts that he didn't even come up

with an excuse for why he didn't look below. The moon hid behind a cloud, seemingly afraid of something as the trees

themselves whirled around in seeming terror. Shadow didn't care for that either.

_Yet, there was me. Then again, shortly after my expulsion from the ARK; I was recaptured and locked away. But if Maria had come _

_with me, I wouldn't have been captured. I was captured because I was grieving, I was conspicuous. I didn't take any precautions I _

_didn't bother with trying to conceal myself or act incognito. If she had been with me, I would have strained far harder than I did. _

_Yet, she didn't come with me. The military caught me, and locked me up for over fifty years. During those years, I forgot. I forgot _

_almost everything, almost as if my mind due to lack of stimulus was dissolving away. If the deranged madman Eggman had not _

_saved me when he did, I would surely have gone completely insane. Due to my own unique genes inherited from Doom, I could live _

_forever without aging, without illness of any kind; as long as I wasn't hit by a bus or mortally wounded in some way. The military _

_must have known, which was why they locked me away. Was that for the best then? Would I have wanted to see Maria wither _

_away over the years? I will outlive Sonic, I will outlive Eggman, and I will outlive everyone I currently know. I will outlive everyone I _

_will ever know. Do I really want to live forever? Or as long as one can live before the icecaps melt or the sun stops shining. Maybe, _

_I just want to die, to see Maria, Gerald, Zane… maybe even Carl and the rest. Yes tha-_

Something wrapped around his leg, and he looked down immediately in surprise. His train of thought was jolted aside

from the shock. A sooty vine of some sort was wrapped firmly around his left leg; he tried to pull it off. To no avail, his fingers

barely scratched the surface of the darkened vine. He could feel the vine tightening, and the lower half of his left leg going

numb from blood cut-off. In the blink of an eye, he was hurled off the tree. The vine still tightened like a hang-mans noose

around his leg, he was swinging around madly in mid-air. He gazed in horror and anger as the briefcase fell, hitting many

branches on its speedy journey to the lush undergrowth below. With a sickening thud, the briefcase spilled open. The

broken acid bottle commenced with its duty, and in only a few seconds all the contents of the case were destroyed. His

anger flared, and in an act of inhuman strength he grasped the vine and snapped it off his leg. This action, of course, caused

him to fall somewhat ungracefully.

Luckily, he landed on a string of soft mushroom plants that had been growing in the dampened soil. He was dazed for only a

second, feeling the injury dissipate before the might of his fury. His eyes darted quickly amongst the darkness, scanning the

area almost immaculately for any sign of the perpetrator. He had an inkling of who it could be, perhaps a prank caused by

the Seedrian girl. Though such an act by as timid and docile an individual as herself; would be described at best as out of

character, that was the best theory he had available at the moment. The darkness hid his query well, and he found himself

straining to see in the dense undergrowth. In the canopy, he could see better because of the moonlight. Here, the light

managed to filter in at only a few locations, and those same locations allowed precious little light. The many towering trees

in the area helping to obscure most of the moons flimsy luminescence. He could hear now, something clumsily stalking

around. If there was anything he prided himself on of his many talents, it was his reaction time and speed. He heard the

snapping of a branch close by, this time not ignoring the warning. Leaping away faster than even he knew he could move,

he landed on the ground about ten feet away with the grace and agility of an acrobat. If it had been any other time he may

have spent some time gloating on the accomplishment, reaffirming to himself that he was truly the "Ultimate Life-Form." This,

however; was not any other time.

He squinted in an attempt to see what he had so recently leapt away from. He waited in bated breath for what seemed like

hours, straining to hear any sign of movement from the intruder. The night was surprisingly silent, yet, he still couldn't hear

a clumsy move from his new enemy. The longer he stood waiting, the less inclined he came to believe this was the work of

an overly prankish Cosmo. He decided he might as well risk the asking of a name. "Cosmo?" he asked with a hesitation to

his voice that, considering the circumstances, was entirely too noticeable for his comfort. He didn't expect a reply, seeing the

world in a sort of horror-tinted mindset. His earlier notion that this mysterious assailant was Cosmo had almost entirely

disappeared after his question. This would be the time when a monster of some sort would jump out of a closet, or prepare

a killing strike. That unpleasant thought, encouraged him to keep his guard up.

Yet another branch broke close-by, and in the silence the sound was deafening. It took Shadow's brain only a second to

register the fact that the sound had emanated from behind. He wasted no time doing fancy acrobatic tricks, preferring to do

a 180 degree turn to face his tormentor. His view was obstructed by the presence of a rather large fern about fifteen feet

away from his present location. Peering through the gaps in the swaying branches, at first thinking his mind was playing

tricks on him, he saw a pair of glowing red orbs two feet or so above his rather small stature. It didn't take him long to

notice his mind hadn't gone loopy on him yet, helped immensely by the movement of the orbs. In response to the slow

movement of the glimmering spheres, which still lay concealed within the huge fern, he took a few cautionary steps back. He

might have gone further than a measly three steps, had he not been somewhat curious to the identity of the owner of the

still glowing orbs. As the crimson-red spheres drew closer, he could make out they weren't 'spheres' at all, they were eyes!

That revelation sparked the short-lived notion that the owner of the eyes may be an angry albino of some sort. That notion

was dashed quickly because the red-light that had illuminated the eyes had gone out. It wasn't a fade, more of a snap. His

eyes took a second to re-focus on the fern without the presence of a light source, and he saw the figure emerge from the

brush. A tall figure draped in a rather plain cloak, what color the garment may have possessed was lost in the darkness of

the forest. Whoever this person was took great pains to conceal him or herself, the cloak reached below foot level and a pair

of equally plain gloves adorned each hand. The presence of a large hood completed the rather simplistic attire. Shadow

clenched his fists, preparing to attack if provoked. He found himself somewhat relieved that the figure stalking him had been

a person and not some Resident Evil style monstrosity, though that didn't explain the vines. _Is this person a Seedrian?_

Shadow found himself wondering, finding some solace in the fact that most Seedrians' were rather docile and easily harmed.

If Cosmo was any indication of the strength and endurance of the average Seedrian, then they were also easily killed. A

largely pathetic race if viewed through his eyes, yet he supposed they had a purpose.

The two figures eyed each other for what seemed like hours. As the minutes stretched on, shadow found himself growing

tired of the staring contest. Mustering what little sympathy he could manage, he attempted to start a conversation with the

'Seedrian'. He kept his fists and reflexes at the ready, prepared for any kind of attack this person could throw should the

chat degenerate into a brawl. His anger over the lost briefcase subsided somewhat with his curiosity. "Are you a Seedrian?"

Shadow found himself querying, hoping the tall person wasn't some simpleton or moronic brute. Due to the excellent

concealment the hood provided the creature, Shadow couldn't gaze past the trim of the darkened fabric. He half-hoped that

the figure would remove the hood, so that he could more clearly see the facial features the Seedrian possessed. His many

years of life had taught him how to read facial expressions and lip movements, talents that were wasted with the presence

of a concealing agent over the facial regions. The figure suddenly spoke, and Shadow found himself almost surprised. The

vocal sound was definitely male, with a gruff under-laying vocalization to many of the longer words. The tone was slow and

methodic; the slurring of some of the more complex words did little to help the intelligence of the creature. Yet, the words

that were spoken were without a doubt from one who had some degree of intelligence.

"No… I am something different, Shadow." The cloaked man replied, with just a hint of malice underlying his every word. A

chuckle could be heard emanating from the man, a horrific and unnatural sound. The man's eyes lit up a fiery red, and even

with the new light, the darkness of the hood seemed impenetrable. The figures left hand suddenly darted forward; clutching

Shadow forcefully by the throat, the vice-like grip pulled him off the ground. He could feel his throat muscles being crushed by

the force of the man's brutish hands. The right hand of the man lifted to the hem of its hood, giving a slight tug as the

concealing agent fell to the side. That action revealed a head and face that looked almost human, though distorted. The face

was pale, and colorless. The short blondish hair that grew on the mans head seemed dirty and smudged with all manner of

dust and debree. The eyes of the man had lost their crimson hue, revealing a set of iris' that had a cerulean blue complexion.

The nose was broken and seemingly un-used, pieces of cartilage jutting out of gaps in the skin. The lips of the man were

practically non-existent, having been chewed away by some grinding force. The teeth were both bloody and cracked, victim

to the same grinding agent. The tall man gave a smile, a horrid grimace caked with drying blood. "I am something far

different, my old friend…"


	16. Shadows'

Shadow could feel the mass of the tree trunk, as his body slammed into the massive oak that had splintered somewhat

down the middle from the force of the blow. He was dazed, his head throbbing painfully. His neck flared, and he could still

feel the coarse hands encircling around his neck in his mind. Immense strength, then again, he himself was immensely

powerful himself. The pain ebbed in a scant minute or two, and he was left discerning where he was. The past few minutes

had passed by quickly, almost a blare. From when the cloaked man had grasped him, to his somewhat shocking revelation.

How he had managed to roll up into a spinning ball, and in the process sheering off a few of his foes' fingers in the process.

The scream of rage that had accompanied that task, how he had been hurled like some particularly revolting creature. His

thoughts came back quickly, and jolted his brain into action. He knew he hadn't killed his tormentor, or if the figure could be

believed, "friend". His eyes were closed, still perpetuating the task that was given to them when he had begun his

dangerous flight towards the great oak. He opened his left eye rather slowly, the eyelids having a small sort of resistance in

opening. With a small pop, his left eye was open and staring into the black. The figure was gone, but he knew it was still

close by, stalking around presumably. He could see some various grasses and flora shifting about in the light breeze that

had begun to flow throughout the small patch of land he resided on. Through his body hurt terribly, he managed to use his

shaking right hand to grasp the bark on the tree. This accomplished, he slowly stood himself up, peering through his open

left eye. He opened his right eye, somewhat easier to open than its more resilient twin. He could now experience the depth

of the world, having been lost on his earlier viewing. The only sound he heard now was the faint whistling noise of the wind

fanning throughout the enclosure. That sound any other time would be comforting; however, the calmness of the breeze

unnerved him. He could remember the vine that had grasped him on the tree, a vine he now attributed to his foe. Though he

did not know how or why, he was wary of any other sharpened vines hanging about. Considering some of the monstrosities

he had faced before, sentient vines did not seem all that crazy of an idea.

He heard it before he saw it, yet another vine had shot itself from the darkened foliage. Acting almost entirely on the instinct

of self-preservation, he dashed as quickly as he could in the short span of time it took for the vine to strike the tree he had

been standing against. He was stopped by the presence of yet another tree, not an entirely graceful maneuver, yet one

that had almost undoubtedly saved his life. He could feel the rough bark brush against his skin, and could feel himself

bleeding somewhat from the sharpness of the wood. He ignored the feeling, remaining alert. The vine was still seemingly

stuck within the tree, and it did not take much brain power to figure out it was trying to release itself from the rough bark.

Having a far longer look at the vine, he came to the conclusion it was not a vine at all. Its surface was rather oily and black,

and it appeared to be pulsating. That and the noticeable lack of leaves of any kind, led Shadow to believe it was some kind

of tentacle. He glanced as far down the newly christened tentacle as his eyesight could reach, and could not see where it

was attached. He didn't have too; somehow he simply _knew_ the lone tentacle was a part of his earlier enemy. Something

wasn't right though, a bad feeling permeated throughout his body. The lone struggling tentacle was too obvious, and then

it hit him. He knew it was coming before it even struck, taking another daring leap of faith. Another monstrous and pulsating

tentacle exploded from some dense foliage that had been crowding around yet another great oak. He landed more

gracefully than he had done earlier, this time failing to impact upon a tree. Instead, his speeding body collided roughly with

the dirt in a rare patch of land with no foliage of any kind. He didn't have time to catch his breath from his miraculous

escape, yet another snake-like object was hurtling towards him. He couldn't leap away in time, and in the split second

before the tendril hit him, he managed to curl into a defensive spinning ball of sharpened quills. He charged the object,

cutting down the middle and launching himself towards its master.

It didn't take long for him to collide with the mystery man, in the process knocking it several feet away with the sheer force

of the impact ripping a large gash down the middle of its black cloak. Blood could be seen trickling along the edges of a slight

wound his quills had caused, the cloak having sustained most of the blow. The man landed on his back and Shadow un-

curled himself quickly. He could see where the earlier tentacles had been coming from; three could be seen squirming from

where the stubs were on his hands. With the glove all but gone, he could see that something was moving within his hands.

What would have looked like veins had Shadow not known about the tendrils, with that knowledge he had a very different

idea of what they were. Fearing another sneak attack, he quickly dismembered the three tendrils that had been leeching off

his hands. With that accomplished, he decided to take a closer look at his 'friend'. He wasn't breathing, and the movement

within the hands ceased quickly. The gloves that had sheathed both of his hands remained in tatters, allowing near-full

visibility of his foes pale skin. The hood however, seemed to defy gravity in that it still remained stationed in front of the

face. Unless there was some wire in the design, it was defying one or maybe two laws of nature. Still, something wasn't

right. It was too easy, for such a foe to die as quickly as his had; lended suspicion to Shadow's mind. He wasn't a fool,

knowing a ruse when he saw one. However; it had been almost three minutes since he had struck his foe, and not a solitary

rise could be seen emanating from the chest. He backed away from the 'dead' man. Despite the lack of breathing, he knew

something was up. His suspicions were confirmed by the slight movement of the arms. The act was made even more bizarre

as the creature, for now he was sure this thing wasn't even remotely human, revived itself. The red glow of the eyes

reaffirmed themselves, as the creature steadily got up. Even as the creature began to stand, the chest did not rise. It

wasn't breathing, and as this thought struck him; it laughed hideously. An utterly guttural noise that sounded remarkably

similar to the noise some rabid boar might make before it charged. The laugh lasted for thirty-seconds at best, yet seemed

to stretch far longer than that. Shadow was on his guard, preparing for yet another fight with this thing. The laugh stopped

abruptly, and he could feel the figure glaring maliciously at him.

"You cannot kill me, Shadow." The figure declared somewhat unexpectedly with a decidedly pompous tone laminating over

its voice. "I murdered Maria, as I shall in turn murder you." The monster exclaimed, not an ounce of remorse lining those

cruel words. The remorse that should have been, instead replaced with an eerie nonchalance. The kind of vocal tone one

would use to express a subject that didn't really matter. Shadow was stunned by that almost off-hand remark, bringing

back painful memories of his final moments on A.R.K. He paused, his brain straining to make sense of such an illogical boast.

It didn't make sense, so many questions ravaged his mind that he could feel pain from them all screaming for an answer. A

thousand different voices screaming, crying out for answers to their seemingly eternal anguish.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to handle the truth, the truth you thought you knew. Actually, you don't know much at all.

You merely know fragments to a grander puzzle, the pieces that you have inconclusively shoved together to form an

answer, no matter how flawed in logic or reason. I envy that kind of blind stubbornness, bred no doubt from your pain. I'm

not here however to reveal the great mystery that shrouds your birth, I'm here to kill you. You must die Shadow, in order

for me to continue my own journey. My own set of goals, my own reasons. Don't worry though my dear Shadow…" The

monstrosity whispered; leaning over to the stunned Shadow's left ear so that the meaning of his words could in no way be

lost. Shadow being too stunned by his haunted mindset to respond, merely stood as the figure said his piece. "I'll make it

quick, painless… and with any luck you'll die with as much grace and beauty as your precious Maria did… so long before."

The horrible voice echoed in his skull, the last straw. Shadow could feel his rationality being crushed by that declaration, and

his anger flared inside. His stunned response was torn to pieces by his newfound anger."No… that's not possible… you lie…

YOU LIE! YOU FUCKING LIE! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU FOR SAYING THAT!" Shadow's rage got the best of him, in that moment,

his pent-up anger took control. The cloaked man took a step back, seemingly in fear, awe or a mix as Shadows anguished

rage consumed him. All the pain and sorrow he had kept bottled up in the years exploded almost instantaneously. In that

moment, he didn't care if the figure was lying or not, the figure had to die for saying that. For even insinuating such a

slander, he could feel tears brimming near his eyelids as his hands clenched into fists. "YOU DON'T EVEN DESERVE TO SAY

HER NAME!" Shadow found himself screaming as he lunged forward, in his blind fury he didn't hear his chuckle. He didn't

notice the tentacle that had oozed its way slightly outside the cloak; he didn't notice many things… that could have saved

his life in that instant. All the sentience in his body had burned away, leaving a primal instinct so powerful that he couldn't

stop himself even as the tentacle sprung out.

He didn't feel the tendril burrow through his chest and into his vitals until he had struck his foe with all his might in the face.

The hood flew back, revealing the neck breaking under the might of the blow. The head snapping backwards, the neck

twisting as bone jabbed through the fleshy skin around the neck. Blood faintly covered these jagged bones, as the head

now faced the opposite direction. Shadow felt relief before he felt the pain, falling to the floor and clutching his chest as

blood spurted out in torrents between his fingers. He tried to stop the bleeding, compressing the wound as tightly as he

could. To no avail, there was too much blood loss by then. He looked up and saw his foe staggering backwards, clutching its

head as if in agony. The world began to phase out as his hands fell limply to the ground, followed by the mass of his weight

crushing them as well. His breathing intensified, his dying body trying to supplement the lack of blood with more oxygen.

Eventually his breathing slowed as his lungs slowed their process dramatically from the absence of nourishing red blood

cells. In this dazed state of mind, at the door of death, he saw the figure twist its head back around. The face now in the

correct direction, tattered flesh and bone laying about the neck like tinsel on a particularly well decorated Christmas tree.

Black tendrils looped around the neck, seeming to hold it together. The figure managed a melancholy smile, as it declared its

parting words.

"I don't know why, but your death should have stopped my pain. It hasn't, in fact; I can feel it even greater than before. A

void, a void that won't close. The worst, the only kind of pain I know. You could have killed me, had Gerald not meddled so

meticulously with your genes. Had Gerald not infused your original DNA with that of the fool Black Doom." After speaking so

calmly, the figure seemed to enter its own rage as it continued. "AND FOR WHAT!? FOR MARIA? GERALD ENDED WHAT I HAD T

RIED SO HARD TO ACCOMPLISH! You could ... You could have ended my pain… I-I could have died… I should have died… I

DESERVED TO DIE! AFTER ALL THAT IV'E DONE, WHY AM I NOT ALLOWED TO DIE? WHY DIDN'T YOU BECOME LIKE SILNAS?

WHY DIDN'T YOU BECOME A GOD?"

The figure seemed to break down for a second, muttering to itself. Its temper flaring, and from behind its form came at least

a dozen tendrils. Each one having come from beneath the cloak, swaying in the wind. Each one seeming to react to their

master's sorrow, each one seeming to emanate a feeling of immense tragedy and loss.

"Maria… soon…" Shadow found himself whispering, as the world seemed to collapse upon itself. The earth which had once

seemed so hard and supporting seemed to melt like putty as his senses dissipated. In his dying moments he heard a

statement, one tinged with both melancholy and sadness.

"I honestly thought killing you would at least partially stop the bleeding. I was wrong… it doesn't matter now. You need not

worry about punishment for my crimes; I will be laid to rot for the many atrocities I have committed. That is the best future I

can hope for myself, one that I now trudge towards without fear. Before now, I had thought that this was for the best. Now,

I am not sure. That feeling of uncertainty is the worst, to know if I could have done something with my wasted life. That I

could have done something that I could be remembered for fondly. How I wish I had turned out like you, I am a coward for

what I've done. Though you will never forgive me for my actions, at least accept that I too am hurt. That I too have

nightmares and that I wish I could have forgotten my past as you have. … Goodbye… Shadow…" The figure turned, away

from the dying Shadow. Weaving a finger down the center of its cloak as the fibers seemed to reconnect, while using his

free hand to pull his hood over his now intensely disfigured head. He stood for a second, taking one final glance at the

corpse of Shadow. His tendrils slowly eased themselves back into his rotting flesh, binding themselves to various areas to

help in his movement. Turning, with feelings of despair; the figure began to walk. It travelled for a few minutes, traversing

the dense foliage and various flora of the area. Accompanied only by the distant sounds of fleeing birds and frightened deer,

the very trees seeming to distance themselves from his presence. With every step, its emotions ran wild through its head;

each one a venomous serpent impeding his progress. He found himself remembering, he tried to brush them aside, but they

kept coming. Memories of his mother. Memories he hated, memories he wanted to forget. Tormenting him, driving him mad.

His mothers face, shunning him. Sorrow he had tried so hard to hide, so hard to forget. He began to run, running away from

his demons that seemed so real then. He ran so fast and so blindly that he didn't notice the tree that impeded his path. He

hit the massive construct head on, sending him sprawling to the ground in a small circle of flowers. He grasped his head,

and old trick he had seen in movies. A trick that didn't work, he found himself screaming; letting loose all of his bottled

sorrow. "WHY DID YOU ABANDON ME MOTHER?! WHAT DID I EVER DO WRONG!? WHY DIDN'T YOU LOVE ME!? Why did I

become like this? A monster… nothing but a monster trying to die…"He was sobbing now, tears didn't flow, but on the

inside he was devastated. His earlier composure and coolness had evaporated like a light mist; his false front of emotionless

had fallen. For those few minutes he realized how vulnerable he felt, feeling he had thought he left behind long ago. Fearing

these thoughts he found himself standing up, trying to run yet again. Running, that was all he felt he could do now. With

Shadow dead, he was alone. Alone, except for the voice that spoke to him. Zelos was what it called itself, he knew next

to nothing of the man. All he knew was that his voice that was commanding and harsh. Yet the voice offered hope, the voice

that had found him and told him what to do. Nearly fifty years ago, after project Shadow had failed. The voice directed him,

and he obeyed. That thought gave him tranquility, finally being able to end his miserable existence. While he was thinking

he didn't notice the boulder that was rapidly approaching his feet, as his right foot tripped over the object. A rumble could

be heard, as a concealed door opened before him. _Eggman's lair… no, I cannot allow my emotions to get the better of me now. _

_Eggman must die. Soon, soon I shall get what I deserve… soon I shall finally die, and be at peace with myself. Forever…_


	17. Breaking Point

Where that hidden cave would lead the broken Steve, is where his short story abruptly ends. Things that are far more important were coming to a head within Station Square itself. Hidden within the labyrinthine city, a cancer was growing. Unbeknownst to the citizenry, all so alive, if shaken by the recent murder of Cosmo, the final moments of their beloved city were starting to play out like some overly macabre stage play. The malicious tumor had spread far beyond the borders of Station Square, nurturing itself upon the frightened citizenry. In retrospect, it was inevitable that Station Square would eventually succumb to it.

Nestled rather comfortably within the industrial district on the west side of town, a rather unassuming house stood between the streets of Mortar and Jaunice. Unique in appearance from the other domiciles that lined that particular street, its décor stood out cheerfully amidst the gloom that seemed to perpetually enshroud the city that night. This contrast was not lost on the inhabitants of the building, having the unwanted effect of making that which was already depressing more so. The flickering of badly maintained streetlights half-heartedly lit up the street with their dim beams of light. The dirt seemed grimier, clinging like barnacles onto the cobbled stone sidewalks. Within the brief flashes of light visible to those who could find time to observe, newspapers flew wildly across those same cobbled stone sidewalks. Occasionally skidding and tearing alongside the rough and un-hewn edges of the stone, a small few even managing to become entrenched within the cracks between the stones. It had barely been two hours and the local paper had already printed out a special copy of its newspaper to both inform the public and make a quick profit. From its somewhat secure wedging, the front page of the paper could be seen clearly in the decaying light. "Cosmo murdered by assassins, Police baffled!" The headline blared, somewhat reminiscent of the old papers' one might see spinning circles in some old movie or comic book. Below the heading, more articles stemmed off from that main subject. Quickly thrown together Interviews with local citizenry; commentary on the failed resuscitation that had occurred just a few hours earlier. Various city "experts" wrote down their views on how this event would affect the future, and even a few final pages of retrospect on her short life. Ironically, the same man who had criticized Mile's participation during the battle against Solaris wrote that final piece. The tone that emanated off this ink however, was sad and moody. The article giving a tearful account of his life, and many citizens would agree that day that it had been the most moving piece. The reporter finished his piece with an apology to Mile's and a plea for forgiveness regarding his journalistic actions towards his reputation.

As exploitive as the title and its ensuing articles were, not including the final retrospect, the small issue had been quickly sold out. The many older citizens of station square taking it upon themselves to ponder the ifs and the why's of the earlier tragedy that night, forgoing sleep for animated discussion amongst themselves. Violent arguments and fiery debates spewed throughout the night, echoing off the old bricks and mortar that had been the very foundation of the city. Even within the house, one might hear these same conversations. However, the neighbors of this particular house had thought it wise to commence arguing elsewhere, none of them wanting to forgo the wrath of the address's particularly despondent residents.

The house mentioned was located about five feet from the street, having neither a garden nor side-winding pathway towards its entrance. The paint on the house had been applied recently, lacking the peels that festered on most of the other houses on the street. The color of the paint that adorned the other houses was a rather boring blend of light blue and teal. This home however, was not one of the other houses. The bright and seemingly cheerful pink paint that coated the wood might have glimmered brilliantly had the sun been wandering above the sky. Had the sun been awake, casting its strong rays of luminescence upon earth to banish the many demons that hid within the darkness. Sadly, the night seemed to drag endlessly, taking perverted pleasure over the recent heartbreak. This elaborate description could lead to a rather strong clue as to the identity of the proprietor, who as of this time resided within the sheltering structure.

A well-painted and wood-planked gate stood guard over the entrance. The fence that stringed on both sides from the doors of the gate; protected the quiet building from the occasional dog or cat that may decide to wander within un-invited. A generic 3-foot wide swath of hardened concrete provided the pathway to the residence, a few well-attended roses shot up from the dirt near the front of the house. The dirt covered and strangled most of the surrounding land beside both sides of the concrete path. An empty watering can was haphazardly located on its side beside the doorway into the address, kicked aside without a second thought during some mad dash inside. The house itself, like the others on its street, was a two-floor construction with a total of three rooms upstairs with a large den and kitchen area taking up prominence on the first.

In stark contrast with the somewhat grim and unkempt exterior of the neighborhood, the cozy little domicile resided upon. The interior of the aforementioned house was meticulously cleaned and vibrantly painted with many varying splashes of color found upon the walls in such a fashion that might indicate the residence of an avant-garde artist. These splashes of color were not isolated to one particular area, they could be easily found, to varying degrees, on most every wall of the house. Helping the general ambiance of the room's become more perky and happy than most contemporary homes. The stairwell was currently cluttered on both sides with pictures both new and old of various events that had occurred in its owner's relatively short life. Displaying triumphant victories, depressing failures, and the occasional group picnic outing.

We could continue up the stairs, too more closely examine the various rooms and areas that made up the second floor, but our attentions should be focused on what was ensuing upon the ground level. Climbing down the stairs, one might be greeted by the door located almost perilously close to the steps. Taking a left glance from that position would reveal a small, if well furnished and decorated, dining area. Replete with all the things one may hope to find upon a modern dining area, table, cloth, a few chairs, and even a full-size chandelier constructed of brass and hanging proudly from the ceiling. Directly across from the dining area, was the kitchen. Containing a refrigerator, dishwasher, sink, and pantry stuffed with various health-rite foods, and a few cabinets to hold the dishes and glasses. Tellingly, an empty beer bottle could be spotted lying snugly beside the fridge. A fair distance away, a six-pack with the same brand name could also be seen hiding behind the open door of the pantry. They were the only few bleak spots in the otherwise well-furnished room. Moving past the kitchen, past the dishwasher and dryer, and into the den area, a more engaging story was unfolding. The ceiling light was on in a vain attempt to drive away the suffocating feeling of sadness, the only light in the modest house that had been sapping power that night. The big screen T.V. was blank, its own blackened front panel seeming to enhance the depressing aurora that gripped the room. The aura seemed to become thicker and more noxious with every second that flew by, as if an airborne pollutant located near a garbage dump. Besides an empty couch, a single wire-less phone rested snugly upon its charger. The small phone seemed oblivious of the surrounding world and its many problems. There were three couches, each on differing sides of the big-screen. Each couch having the same floral pattern, an interlocking set of red roses that encircled the circumference of the couches. A snob may have had the audacity to exclaim they looked rather tacky, but the owner of the household could not ignore how well they fit in with the general theme of the house. Having been bought as a set of three about a month ago, they remained intact, being spared the holes and tatters that plagued many an older sofa. The sofa to the left was unoccupied while the other two both seated an individual. Both too lost in their own thoughts and feelings to communicate with each other; aside from a few knowing glances shot towards each other from time to time. A desperate urgency emanated from each glance, and the knowledge that nothing would ever be the same. A lot could be said from these glances that words seemed to hollow too express adequately.

In front of the T.V. Amy sat upon her recently purchased sofa. At any other time, she may have remarked that it was a comfortable piece of furniture. She gave a short sigh; this was not any other time. To make such a statement just a few hours after her best friend had been brutally murdered by some thug, felt like betrayal to her. The thought, brought up the unpleasant memory of her death. A memory that would tend to linger, and the longer it remained, the worse she would feel. This was an un-wanted psychological effect on her mind, perhaps unavoidable given the context of her predicament. Because of this, she tried to keep her fragile psyche focused on some other task. Amy found herself fidgeting with her red hair-band, removing it from her silky pink hair to inspect more thoroughly. It was her most prized possession; and had been a gift from her mother, almost ten years ago. She could hear her voice echoing through her head, "_Try this on dear, move your head a little to the left… and… there we go! Wow, it fits nicely on you!"_ Remembering this small exchange brought a tear to her eye, an almost miraculous development since she had felt she had utilized all of her tears when Cosmo had fallen. She took a nervous glance to her right, wondering if Sonic had seen. His eyes were closed, perhaps in concentration. She also noticed that his feet were up on her couch. She may have gotten angry over that, had she not been relieved he hadn't been watching over her. She knew that she had lied to Sonic about one thing, and with everything else that had happened over the years, she might have forgotten herself. Yet, staring at the hair-band now, the hair-band she had meticulously cleaned and inspected each and every day for dents and smudges; she found herself remembering. The last time she had seen her mother alive. She had been a beautiful, caring person. Amy may have just been nine years old, but even at that young age she had recognized her mother as special. The way she would hum pleasantly as she cooked dinner, a hum that Amy had found herself emulating even today, the way she would read her stories before bed, and even tuck her into bed. In a way, she felt that perhaps her strong friendship with Cosmo might have partially been because the Seedrian had reminded Amy quite strongly of her mother. Perhaps in the grand scheme, that assumption would be correct. However, she did not dwell on that thought for long.

_Amy could also remember that it had been at that age that she had first began to realize how different she had been from everyone else. Even her mother and father looked nothing like her. Thinking about it now, she came to the theory that she had been victim to some kind of genetic malformation. A malformation that all of her living friends seemed to possess; aside from the late Cosmo. She might have dwelt on that question had she not suddenly recalled another important aspect of her child-hood._

_Amy remembered how she had been home-schooled by her mother. When she had hit the age of seven, her parents decided to try schooling her. Her first year of school had been disastrous, her many differences from the other children inspiring a sort of group loathing that would lead to them picking on her incessantly. The bullies had pestered her with little things at first, spitballs, snide remarks, and general disdain. She had felt alone then, the other children seeming to spite her. She would walk to school and back home, having been effectively banished from the school bus by her peers. Sometimes, a braver group of kids, usually boys, would follow her around and tease her as she struggled to reach the relative safety of her home. She would often run away from them, thanking whatever greater power had decided to endow her with the gift of speed. Her excellent track skills, however, could not save her one bitter winter afternoon. The cold had considerably dulled her senses and she had underestimated the ferocity of her other classmates. Their prejudices seeming to become larger and more malignant as her first year dragged on. She did not realize she was being shadowed, as she walked home alone._

_At the time, she had been thankful that her mother had packed a winter coat and earmuffs into her backpack, rejoicing in its warmth that shielded her from the biting cold. It had even begun to snow that day, a rare occurrence in Station Square under most circumstances. She had envisioned a day of sledding, or perhaps a pitched snowball fight with her father, who had promised to play with her that day. These thoughts in her head, she tried her hand at humming her mother's tune, unaware of the sloshy footsteps behind her. Partly because of the noise reduction, the earmuffs subsequently provided, partly because she assumed the noises she did hear belonged to a responsible adult. She did not have much time to think or even react when the gang of boys struck. She heard running, and in that instant realized what a fool she had been. How naïve of the cruelty that welled up within the hearts of others towards things that they did not want nor care to understand. She put up a short chase, sprinting into an alley. However, it only led to a brick wall; dead-end. To her right and left were two boarded-up homes, and even as she thought this; the menacing delinquent gang caught up to her. There were at least four, and together they formed a kind of barrier around her. There was no way out without going through the boys. She was trapped, and she knew she could not fight against the four by herself. She envisioned someone to help her, in that desperate time. Now that she was older, she would imagine Sonic blazing a trail over the thugs. She would imagine him saving her, as he had done many times before. Then, as many of her fantasies involving Sonic were apt to accomplish, he would propose to her and they would be wed. Regardless if that notion made sense given the context, which is probably why she knew it was a fantasy. Yet, going back into reality, nobody came to rescue her. Fists struck her, and her vain attempts to fight back only encouraged them to hit her that much harder. Too completely, recount how she was brutalized that day would be in bad taste; and would take at least a page to convey the terror she felt. The pain that stemmed not only from the punches, but also from being singled out for such harsh and brutal treatment by her peers. It was excruciating, to say the least. Some things words cannot convey accurately, some things that have to be experienced and not read. This is such an event, and suffice to say, when the hoodlums had finished their barrage; Amy lay bleeding and bruised besides the western wall. Her blood pooling from her many open wounds onto her winter-coat, which had ceased its protections when the lopsided fight had began. Before they had left, she could remember how they laughed at her, shouts of "freak!" and "monster" echoing soundly within her mind. Carrying on extra weight, as that was how she had thought of herself then. She had struggled to return home, collapsing a few times on the way. Those who saw her avoided her. As if, she had justly deserved the brutal assault. She ignored their hatred, feeling too much pain to care. When she finally opened the door to her home, nose bleeding profusely, arms battered and cut up; legs shaky with exhaustion, her mother saw her. Amy could remember how her mother had screamed in terror after seeing her brutalized condition; when she collapsed after opening the doorway. Her mother had quickly stuffed her stiff and barely moving body into the backseat of the family van. Her mother sped off in the direction of the hospital, driving recklessly in a way that would be insane in any other situation. However, seeing her only child in such bad straits, writhing about in the backseat and occasionally coughing up blood, spurned her mother to charge ahead no matter the consequences. As she drove, she managed to complete the task of calling her husband to meet them at the hospital. Amy remembered how close she had been to dying that day, the wounds she had received being particularly deep. She remembered how frightened and hysterical her mother had been when she burst through the doors of the crowded emergency ward. She could vaguely remember hearing the sound of rushing footsteps, having blacked out just seconds after entering the ward. It was a few hours before she would awake from her slumber, a violent nightmare coercing her to flutter open her eyelids in panic. It had taken her a moment to realize she was awake, her arms flailing about in frenzy for the better half of a minute. Her mind quickly adjusted to the change in landscape from her forgotten nightmare, and her eyes followed suit. From the darkness of her nightmare, the light of the white sterile room momentarily blinded her eyes. It only took her a few seconds to connect the dots, as she could feel the blanket enshrouding her body. A hospital bed and judging from the various medical devices that crowded the walls neatly displayed on hooks, a hospital room as well. It took her a second to realize that her parents were both in the room. She had missed them because their location had been over her blind spot, and because they were both sound asleep. They had remained; stationary guardians over her slumbering form. She could remember how happy she felt because of that, after the malicious violence of yesterday, she had felt particularly un-loved. With this display of parental support and affection, she could feel happiness burning brightly within her. The schoolchildren did not matter now, because she was where she belonged. With her loving family, and even to this day, she thanked god for that._

She promptly awoke from her reminiscence, having remembered that she was not alone in her home. Sonic was to her right, lying down on the couch. His feet still on the couch, messing with her many hours spent cleaning the area. Amy might have said something then, to spurn a conversation; but she closed her mouth. Whatever there was to say; would have to wait. For the time being, she could not stand a conversation on as depressing a topic as the only one either of them had. No conversation could last, without mentioning the earlier catastrophe; and at this time, she did not want to face that. At least, not yet; and with her mind made up, she returned to her memories. She was misled by her earlier happy thought that she could spin any subsequent tragedies in her life into something positive. The ignorance of youth bellied her somewhat odd tendency to smother events in a kind of optimistic blanket. In which everything, good and bad, happens for some reason that would in the end, essentially become good as well. An assertion that was fundamentally untrue, and within a small corner of her mind, she knew this to be true. Nonetheless, she ignored that voice of truth, seeing no reason not to partake in continuing her childhood memories. It did not take long for her to remember where she had left off, and the enthusiasm she had then for remembering this; would not last. However, she would not know it until she dredged too far down into the depths of her mind to turn back.

_Amy could also remember the sling around her right arm, the more brutalized of her two arms. She had worn that thing for at least two months. Of course, her condition could have been far worse, and by some divine chance; the ruptures internally had not been severe. On some days, she would give a shiver to think of what her life would have been like had her spine been broken, or an important set of nerves somewhere had stopped functioning. The day after her beating, her mother had petitioned the school board for immediate beginning of home schooling. Her mother's request was granted quickly, the school board probably ecstatic to be rid of her. Her mother told her that maybe one day she could return to school, her view supported by the fact that as the kids grew older, they would become more tolerant of her many differences. Apparently, there would be no right time, at least, not during her short child-hood. _

After this memory, she then realized where this was heading. However, by that time, as stated earlier, she did not have much choice. Her mind screamed for closure to her narrative, and because of that, she continued onward. She continued onward into the bleakest hour of her relatively short life, knowing only partly, how this continuation would affect her already battered and bruised psyche.

_The day her mother had died, brutally murdered in her home, was the day that Amy's child-hood abruptly fell apart. Scantily a month after her cruel beating, her mother had reasoned it best to move out farther in the countryside. Away from the prying eyes of others, who may seek to do harm unto her. Her father; being a novelist who received decent bank from his literary works; had no objections towards this line of reasoning. Two years after her departure from the school system, Amy could remember, how she had ventured outside that fateful autumn morning to retrieve the mail for her mom. Beyond, the small tree her mother had helped her plant the year before, sprouting tiny golden leaves. Beyond the modest lawn, recently mowed and trimmed with an eye towards perfection. The mailbox stood by the street, standing isolated and alone. As she skipped merrily towards the desolate mailbox, she could not help but hope that the newspaper would be located somewhere within its hallowed opening. She had easily glossed over the fact that it was too early in the morning for that, the newspaper usually coming around noon. Yet, somehow the other bits and pieces of mail, came during the wee hours of the morning. Perhaps by disgruntled postal men wanting to get this remote stop over with first, before proceeding onto more populated districts. _

She was desperate then, trying to find any kind of thought or memory that could delay, or lessen the impact of what would inevitably come. The floodgates on her memories were open, and they would not close until after this bitter memory. She decided to find some small solace on why she cared at all about the newspaper.

_The only reason she cared about the newspaper, was that on lucky occasions, she would find an article describing the exploits of the renowned hero Sonic. His first victory over the mad-genius Eggman had proven itself to be compelling reading material. With his subsequent victories over his maniacal adversary, his face could often be found emblazoned somewhere within the pages of the Station Square Chronicle. He was his own sort of celebrity and though he was but a pre-teen, he had already done more with his life than many could in a lifetime. Even back then, Amy had delighted in his mere presence. She had realized then, that she was not alone. Another like her existed, and that fact in itself brought her great joy. Her obsession with him had begun even before they had met, probably stemming from her ever increasing sense of desolation. Being alone and despised for so long had damaged her feeling to the extent that even at her early age, her psyche had begun to develop a stubbornness that was a rarity to shy folk. Even though Sonic rejected her on an almost constant basis, her innate stubbornness saw her through._

Amy gave a small grimace of joy, knowing that she had just recently made Sonic her own. Yet that memory did not last forever, and as when often happens when one encounters a particularly important memory, it has the tendency to complete itself. That shapeless and formless mass known as memory; was indifferent to the despondent pleas of its alleged master. Memory, at times, having a kind of malicious sentience that bewildered even its owner and made those susceptible to guilt, feel its many striking blows.

_Within the confines of the mailbox, she found only junk mail. Nonetheless, she had decided this worth bringing to the attention of her mom. When she stepped through the door… _

"DUNCAN! NO! DON'T! ST-" Amy_ could hear her mother screaming. She could also hear horrible noises within, had she seen a few horror movies; she would recognize them as stabbing sounds._

"_MOM! What's going on! Hello!" She found herself yelling and screaming hysterically in response, running frantically throughout the house for the source of the earlier outburst. The wooden floor creaked under her fast moving feet, bypassing the shoe cabinet and the washer and dryer. She ran too fast, tripping over a cable that had been stretched too far in the hallway. The ground came up quickly as she hit the ground hard. She lay immobile for maybe a second, before lifting her head to observe her surroundings. Amy began to scream, lying on a plain sofa; seeming to stare directly at her, was her mother. Blood seemed to coat her form like a kind of depraved and sadistic blanket, dripping down sporadically with sickening "plinks" as they struck the floor. Her mouth open, contorted into a shocked grimace of horror. She could not believe it, and she found herself unsteadily rising up. She found her feet walking cautiously towards the corpse, across the carpet that coated the den area. She somehow found the courage to stand before her mother, and she wept. Her life had fallen apart before her, and at that time she could only think of why. Why god had played such a cruel card on her, after all the heartache she had already overcome. How she could have deserved such an occurrence, she did not have long to think. A fair distance behind her, Duncan was lurching along the hallway towards her. Amy could hear his slow and methodical footsteps, as if the sheer immensity of what he had recently finished weighed upon him like some invisible burden. When she turned to face him, as a result of hearing his heavy footsteps, she was horror struck. Her father's face, normally containing within its expanses a smile of some sort, wore an expression of intense insanity and terror. Somewhere between a grimace and a sorrowful mourning expression, and lying in his left hand, a knife was clutched half-heartedly. Blood oozing from the tip, pooling below him as the figure stopped. Recognizing his daughter the crazed father spoke, and his words frightened Amy most of all. _

"_Daughter… I have been looking for you. You… you must die. How lovely, you will look. Just like your Mother… come to me. Let me make you beautiful…"_

_Her dad's voice deepened and became shrill as he raised his knife upwards and advanced slowly towards her, repeating the same few recycled phrases continually. Every word was gibberish, each sentence the ravings of a particularly deluded lunatic. Amy might have screamed out in refusal of her fate; might have attempted to plea with her maniacal father. However, she could almost feel another presence behind her father's eyes. An evil and malicious presence, representing an endless void that threatened to swallow her within its vastness, if she dared to stare into the depths of his emerald-green eyes for too long. She did not know then, how she knew that. Yet, knowing it frightened her into silence. She knew there would be no arguing against her father, in her panicked state of mind, she might not have had anything to say anyway. The shock stemming from her mother's death, at the hands of her normally docile and loving father, stuck her feet to the floor. That and she thought that maybe she did want to die. Her mother had been her security, and that security was now torn to shreds. Where would she go? Even if she escaped, she could not survive on the streets. She did not want to be jeered and scorned by society, as she knew almost instinctively the general populace would. She also felt a kind of odd compulsion, as she stood there frozen, she could not help but glance at her father's eyes. With every stunted step he took, she could feel a pull on her. Though she would never tell a single soul this, her mind had wanted to obey that pull. To end the mockery that had been her life, to enter that Promised Land where all were equal and respected. Within his eyes, that seemed to further illuminate themselves the closer he got, she could almost see the gates of heaven; yearning for her eternal soul. _

_She saw her father lower the knife slightly, preparing to pounce on her. Amy read his body language well in advance, the only thing she had learned from her terrible school days. Her paralysis broke, seeing her father's knife, the rising sun illuminating the knife in such a way that it was glistening with a noticeable crimson tint, shattered the chains of shock that had bound her feet to the floor. The eyes had lost their glimmer of hope, and in their stead, they seemed to emanate a ferocious hatred. The meaning of his eyes had changed drastically, and she could now see what looked like the gates of hell within those eyes. A demented movie of sorts began to play within his eyes, and Amy found herself looking upon the vision mouth agape in horror. Flaming tongues of fire erupted from within the depths of the hellish realm; tortured people writhed in agony within a large lake of fire that encompassed the entire area beyond the gate. She could then see the people moving, lurching across the hellish earth. From the lake of fire, came a thousand immolated and rotting people. Fire seeming to course through their veins like blood, acrid acid drooling from their lips like saliva. Some were without legs and crawled; others were without eyes and used their hands to navigate the realm. Yet, they all had hands, burned beyond recognition and missing large patches of flesh. Each one hairless, their hairs singed off by the fire that was their home. In occasional spots, white bone could be seen poking through the tattered remains of their skin. Each one shambled towards the gates, each one upon reaching the gate began to claw and tear at the wrought iron metal. She could see a thousand hands jutting through the bars in the gates, demanding her presence within. Each lost soul screaming in a thousand different tongues, demanding her presence in their damnation._

_Then she saw it, for the first time. Within, within it's eyes, hollowed and horrifying in its majesty. It was a grayish figure amongst the crowded throng of damned souls attempting to escape its horrendous visage, or perhaps to enslave her to partake in their suffering. It sat upon a throne of blood, on close examination it was composed of at least a hundred corpses, each lopsidedly shoved together and stapled to form the massive throne. It stood, and noticed her, and she found herself entranced, even as her father inched ever closer, hypnotizing her with its demented eyes. Like a woman possessed, though by what she could not say. She strained to see what it looked like, yet it defied description, seeming to change constantly, shifting into more elaborate constructs with each passing second her eyes gazed upon it. It stood above the massive throng, as it looked directly into her eyes, and Amy could remember how cold it felt to her. A chill that enveloped her entire body as this thing gazed almost admiringly upon her young form. It did not move an inch from its original location, as if she was worthy of only its furtive (my internets down and I cannot tell if I used furtive correctly__L__) glances. As if it had more important worries upon its mind than her, yet still it stared. Until, it spoke that is. Amy could never forget it; could never forget what it had said to her that day. She might have cast it off a mere delusion, until she had heard it speak, in a deadpan monotone voice. As if the mere act of instilling passion into its words was too much bother for it too attempt, which raised the horrific nature of what it decided to divulge. Maybe Amy was crazy that day, but even if she had been crazy and somehow her parents had died that day differently from what she remembered, she would still always carry what it had said as if it had been real. _

"_From there it comes, as always. Within, always within… Let go, let go and become what was meant to become. As the end always comes in the end, that is inevitable. What shifts, is simply the path one takes to get there." _

_Amy looked away for a split second, unable to take any more the horrendous visage of whatever the grayish being was .Unable to hear anything else of its twisted philosophy, so against all morals of common decency and goodness. She did not even know why the scant few words it had spoken could have so egregiously offended her. She wasn't even sure what the hell it was talking about, what she did know was that it was vile, as if by instinct she could tell. Which was why she turned away, Its hypnotic stare lost amongst the crowd of the dead, still banging upon the gates of what she unsurprisingly deemed as hell. When she glanced back, he was suddenly only three feet away. All thought of the earlier monster disappeared quite promptly from her mind, faced with this life or death ordeal. His eyes had reverted to their greenish hue, leaving no evidence of its earlier dalliance. Yet, she knew what she had seen, and his sudden shift in movement, coupled with that horrendous revelation startled her badly. She realized in those sparse few seconds, that she wanted to live. Even though she did not then know what she would do to survive, she knew she would survive. She did not have long to think of the future, as in that moment, he could see her father suddenly strike. He was moving in the kind of slow motion that seemed to permeate throughout all the dramatic scenes of Hollywood. In that short time-frame, she made her move to escape. The knife suddenly swung forward, as the slow-mo shattered like glass around her. She was too fast, dodging the vicious lunge and then darting quickly beside him as he turned around quickly to give chase. She noticed that the back door was dead-bolted, a key stuck within the lock. Opening such a door would take time she did not have. In addition, to the credit of her panicking mind, she darted for the hallway. She could hear her father screaming at her._

"_AMY! DO NOT MAKE ME COME OVER THERE! Listen to your father, allow yourself to die!"_

_She ignored the voice continuing her short journey towards the hallway. It did not take her long to sprint over towards the threshold between the den and hallway; even then, she instinctively knew something was amiss. The hallway seemed to stretch infinitely, and taking a quick glance back; she could see her father rapidly gaining on her. His incoherent screeches becoming louder and more irritating. She began to run again, trying to reach the front door that symbolized her hope. If she could reach it fast enough, she would be able to escape her father. Yet, even as she moved, the hallway seemed to recede. For every step her aching feet took, the hall stretched twice as long. The hallway seemed as if it were mere putty; that was relentlessly being pulled by a particularly determined toddler enchanted by his first encounter with the substance. Her shoes smacked against the floor with alarming alacrity, almost by their own accord. Her survival function was kicking into overdrive, desperately trying to outrace her father and the hallway. She took a frightened glance back, next to forgetting her father's odious presence. He was moving fast, faster than she thought humanly possible. Yet logic did not matter at that time, to apply logic to her desperate plight would have been folly on her part. The basic laws of reality were being tossed out of some proverbial window. All she cared for was that he was gaining rapidly, and getting ever closer. All the while muttering like a lunatic, screeching out phrases and sentences that were not like any language she had ever heard. The structure and grammar of the sentences spoken not having any rhyme or reason. She tried to ignore his rambling, hard as it was; the relentless noise becoming louder the closer he got. This spurred her on instinctively to move faster, yet her father gaining speed as well met this act._

_She stopped running, turning to face her father. This was pointless; she was only tiring herself out. She realized then she would have to make her stand. Her determination shocked even herself, the first actual growth of her now stubborn character. She may have congratulated herself on breaking the bonds that her fellow schoolmates had clasped on her character, their cruel bullying causing her to grow emotionally weak. Yet a fire had burned within her for years, an impulse that before had been stunted and weak. The flame that had not sparked action within her at any moment of time before now, a flame that had stood by callously as she was repeatedly brutalized during her school years. Yet, it existed. This time, when her future was at its most un-certain, the flame suddenly combusted into a raging inferno. All of the rage and anger that had been welling within her soul since her school days had ignited, for the singular purpose of stopping her father's homicidal rampage. This flame roared with a ferocity that scared even her father, who had taken a sliding stop before her view. His expression changed from one of horror to a toothy smile, a contorted grimace that was grossly out of place in the context of the situation. Amy didn't blink, her anger over her mother's death, and the loss of her child-hood vastly outweighing any fears she might have had then. She eyed him coldly, observing him raise the knife above himself. She knew he was going to strike, and still she did not flinch. Her anger was promoting a sort of calm within her that focused her thoughts, the calm easing her muscles until the critical moment. The moment that was swiftly approaching, there was no time for mistakes. He brought the blade down viciously. Her right fist steadied up towards the direction of the knife, her clenched fist unfurling itself into an open palm. The blade sliced through the air towards Amy, as her right palm flew into its path. She could feel a sharp pain in her palm, closing her eyes for an instant before. Opening them, she saw her hand clutching the knife. She could see droplets of blood dripping from her enclosed hand; the knife's serrated edge having cut deeply into her palm. Her father was momentarily thrown off balance by the sudden reversal, and Amy knew this was her only chance. She ignored the intense pain welling up within her, twisting the knife to face her father's direction. Her father noticed too late, what she was attempting to do. He vainly tried to force the knife out of his way, but by that time, it was already halfway towards his face. Amy forced that knife directly into his throat with all her might, too deeply enraged to care about her action. Not then realizing what she had done, until she let go of the knife. He was bleeding from his throat, the knife stuck inside his jugular vein. His eyes darted around wildly, losing their earlier luster. He tried to grab the knife with his hands, but it was too firmly lodged within his throat to be moved by such basic means. Realizing the futility, his hands dropped down to his sides. Following this, his entire body collapsed to the floor . Amy found herself crying, horrified over what she had done. What she had done to her own father in cold blood. Her earlier rage, dissipated quickly. The flame that had allowed her to murder her father was extinguished by a torrent of guilt. She tried to reason with this guilt, how she would have died if she had taken no action, but her reasoning was swept away in the tide of her despondency. She lay down beside him, his eyes still darting from place to place, albeit more slowly now. _

"_Dad…why…" Amy found herself asking her dying father. She needed to know, why he would do such a thing. She needed to know what had possessed him to commit such an atrocity. She felt that if she knew, she could better live with it. His breathing was slowing to a crawl, as hers quickened and his eyes were glossing over, as hers brightened with revelation._

_He died then, and Amy wailed in despair. She began throttling her father by the neck, trying to resuscitate him by any means. Her actions were ignored, his status not changing in the slightest. She slammed her bleeding fist onto the wooden floor, screaming out her many denials, feeling the worst kind of pain. To no real avail, everything remained as it was. _

"_This is all a dream, it just has to be." _

_She tried to reassure herself, allowing her thoughts to spill out onto her speech. She would awaken, and everything would be all right. Her mother would be downstairs cooking up pancakes as her father checked the newspaper. Everything would be fine, and she would run down the stairs, and hug her mother. She would never let go… she would comfort herself on her soft skin so unlike her own. Her mom would ask what the matter was, and she would respond by hugging her tighter. She would be content, alas, there was no awakening; and she was not in some disturbed dream. Somehow, in the span of ten minutes, her family had died._

"_Why won't I wake up? This cannot be happening… This is not fair… THIS ISNT FUCKING FAIR!"_

_She found herself wailing, screaming out a string of obscenities that would have shocked most anyone. By the time she had finished, her voice was dry and parched. She could not remember how long she sat there. Guarding over the body of her father, half-hoping something miraculous to happen, still residing in the years when the Disney Miracle still shined bright. She couldn't accept the facts, how could she? To lose everything, at such a young age she realized then, that she was alone. _

The world came back into focus, as the memory ended. She fit the hair-band back behind her ears, and gave a depressive sigh. Looking around, the place was as she remembered, though Sonic was no longer dirtying her couch with his feet. She took a few quick glances around her general area, he was not anywhere in the den. She laid back into the softness of the couch, forgetting about him for a moment. She didn't remain there for long, her depression signaling her too partake in the last of her beers. She tried not to dwell on her trip down memory lane, but it would not be forgotten. Even as she stood from the couch and walked slowly towards the kitchen, she could not make the thoughts go away. Remembering her own mothers, tragic death so soon after her closest friend's was too much for her. Remembering her father's final, crazed moments was too much. Remembering how she had, butchered her father in cold blood. No words could make such a deep emotional wound heal, so instead she often found solace in her choice of beer labels.

She was now within her kitchen, and could see the beer case lying like a glimmer of hope within her pantry. Cautiously, she advanced towards the case. She knew instinctively it was a bad habit, drinking made her especially rowdy and boisterous. There were also the blackouts, her young body unable to cope with the intoxicating effects of alcohol. Yet, those were hours where she did not remember, and at this time; the trade off seemed well worth it. Drowning her sorrows in booze seemed a good plan, even with the dissenting voice of Cosmo echoing within her mind. As she reached within the case to gauge how many she had left, the voice of Cosmo grew louder and more demanding.

"_You're not old enough to drink Amy, and you know it._"

That was what Cosmo had told her, the conviction in the younger girl's voice shocking Amy at the time. She had grown accustomed to Cosmo's somewhat docile personality, and the few outbursts she would give were often shocking in their suddenness. Yet, Cosmo did not know of her personal problems, or if she did, not enough to justify her outbursts. As she brought up a single Millers Lite from the depths of the case, she found herself growing agitated over Cosmo's dissent. Thinking now, Amy knew the Seedrian had no right to judge her. Cosmo did not know of rejection as she did, did not realize the despondency of it. To have a love that did not love you back, to fight endlessly for attention. For every small sign of affection being a huge victory, for every sarcastic comment to be misconstrued as a sign of hate. Cosmo did not know what it was like to cry oneself into a bitter and morbid slumber, to dream about why your love went to great lengths to hurt you. To think so highly of an opinion that would lead you to contemplate suicide, just for the attention such a drastic action would almost inevitably bring. To wish your love would care, if only a little bit, just to stop the pain their actions caused. To wonder why one cared; why one revolved their life so totally around such an ignorant individual. The answer was elusive, like the love that was yearned. In the end, perhaps it did not matter why. That's just how things were, and that frightening answer was worse than none at all. Her child-hood schoolgirls crush on Sonic, blossoming into a sort of quasi-religious yearning.

Cosmo had not known the whole truth, and yet she had found it fit to judge Amy's actions. It was not as if the Seedrian was personally involved in her affairs, not as if she knew what it was like. It was common knowledge that Cosmo and Tails were "more than friends" yet, Amy's future with Sonic was not nearly as certain. So what if she was a booze hound? So what if she spent many a wake-less night in various stages of drunken stupor? Considering the state of her life, it was only natural she would find some outlet. She could have been a junkie; she could have turned to weed or heroin to deaden the emotional pain. Things could have been a lot worse, yet she chose the relatively safe choice of drunken revelry. Sure, hangovers were a bitch. She might wake up in the backyard of her house with no recollection of the previous night's events, but it was better than having to spend that time reflecting on what a rut her life was. That alone made it worthwhile, she would buy the booze at an exorbitant price from Knuckles, whose morals were about as stringent as his guardian prowess was mighty, and then spend the night in one of her many differing stages of drunken stupor. Yet, in the back of her mind, she knew it was unfair to judge Cosmo. She was only looking out for her friend's well-being, and Amy's vehement denials had all been argued simply to assure her that she was right. She knew she was not but right now, it did not seem to matter. She needed an escape, and the un-opened bottle in her hand would achieve that end. Even as she felt bad, demonizing her friend, she knew it would only be a few minutes before it would not matter. After only two beers, she would go off the deep end, entering a stage of drunkenness not usually seen.

She began to unscrew the cap of her prize, taking a sublime joy in the fragrance that emerged from the murky depths of the bottle. She brought the alcohol up to her lips, to soon savor the taste and purge herself of her problems, if only for a little while. To ease the pain that was rapidly rampaging through-out her mind, to put a stop to demonic memories that scrambled and clawed to achieve prominence in her thoughts.

"You wouldn't happen to have an extra would you?" A voice suddenly exclaimed, tearing Amy out of her thought process. It took a moment for her mind to confirm the identity of the voice, but by that time, her head had already darted in his direction instinctively. Framed beside the door connecting the small kitchen with the hallway, Sonic stood, his expression impossible to decipher for emotional meaning, a blank look lining his features.

"Sonic… huh… somehow I had the feeling you would reprimand me in some manner. Guess I was wrong, wouldn't be the first time." Amy replied with some note of chagrin lining her words. Inwardly, she had wanted to start some fight with him. She had wanted to blame her drinking problem squarely on him. However, his unexpected declaration tore away this possible starting point. Giving a short sigh, Amy led her hand within the confines of the booze box. It did not take her long to grasp another, reeling in her catch with triumph. By the time she had turned back to face him, he had plopped himself down beside her, eyes closed as if in deep thought. Despite herself, she gave a small grimace. She began poking the top of the beer bottle sharply into his arm to wake him, his eyes stirred open quickly enough. It took him only a second to register what Amy was trying to accomplish, and he grasped the devils drink out of her hand with shocking speed and alacrity. Popping open the cap with seemingly no effort, he took a swig right then and there as Amy watched in something akin to awe. She had not even drunk a drop out of her bottle yet, waiting to see what Sonic would do.

"Jesus, slow down. I only have three left and don't even think ill lend you another one if you drink the damn thing in five seconds." Amy stated as a retort to any future demands Sonic may make upon her dwindling reserve of alcohol. He gave a grin, as he pulled the empty bottle from his lips. Having chugged the entire thing in about twenty seconds, he looked none the worse for wear. Her thoughts of him changed drastically for what he would declare next.

"Well maybe I'll just take all three then, that way I can drink them at whatever pace I damn well please." Sonic retorted fierily, and Amy found herself pondering for a few scant seconds if it was him or the booze. After some analysis, it was definitely just him, and she could feel her blood boiling at the mere callousness of the remark. As if she didn't matter to him in the slightest, as if their previous engagement in Twinkle Park had been a mere placebo to make her feel better without actually having the substance to cement a real change in her lifestyle. Her curt response easily reflected her current feelings.

"Ass..." She whispered faintly as she eyed him with considerable hostility. Sonic put the bottle down, the bottle however fell on its side and rolled away; nobody cared. He stretched his head back and sighed, leaning against the nicely painted wall for support. The man briefly closed his eyes, as if pondering some response or retort. To her surprise, Amy decided against going into her many grievances, the second time today. Instead, she opted to see if he would not provide her with a response worthy of her trust. They were after all, a "couple" now. The least she could do was give him a chance to clamber out of the emotional hole he had recently dug with her. So with that logic put to use, she waited as his eyes flickered open. She waited as his mouth opened, in a yawn. That action denting her hopes somewhat, still she listened. Her faith was rewarded.

"Listen, Amy. I think we're all stressed out, and I took that out on you. I uhh... I'm, sorry for being such an ass today." He declared somewhat solemnly, his every word seeming labored, as if he was conveying more emotion than the words he spoke could possibly contain. That combined with his new found attention towards her eyes, helped sway her to his side. She couldn't help but giggle somewhat as she expressed with some mirth, a light smile pursing her lips.

"Were both a little drunk eh?" Sonic laughed with her mirth at that somewhat oddball rhetorical question, as Amy violently kicked away the beer case. In the back of her mind she could hear some cracking bottles, as the case noisily slammed back into the cupboard, yet she didn't care. This was far better than passing out in her neighbor's yard, and she could slowly feel herself forgetting the pain. The best she could hope for, as emotions that run deep were almost impossible to completely cure. Better to forget and deny the memories existence, especially in the trying times they were sure to encounter with the death of Cosmo. Her earlier shot happiness immediately dissipated.

She gulped in remembrance, as she could feel her eyes tearing up again. As she remembered what had triggered the onslaught of memories this day. Cosmo was dead, and she wasn't coming back. She could feel a dam burst somewhere beneath her eyes, as she fell onto the somewhat surprised Sonic, drowning in her tears. His surprise melted into comfort, as was for the best. He had nothing to say, merely hearing her out. He could feel his back etching itself into the wall behind him, he gritted his teeth. Now wasn't the time.

"I told her Sonic... you know I did at Twinkle... Twinkle Park."

She burst yet again, fresh tears streaking trails down the sides of her face. He could hear her hyperventilating, prompting him to lay out the all encompassing holly wood cliché so often seen in movies.

"Shhhh, c'mon Ames, just let it out... we'll share this one ok? You aren't alone anymore." He whispered softly into her ear, as her spell seemed to come to an end. Replaced now with the feeling of her fingernails digging deeply into his back, which along with the seemingly voraciously hungry wall behind him biting into his back provided a pain that he didn't think he'd experience again in a while. Yet, his concerns were with her, and he didn't want to ruin the moment when it seemed she was finally coming back together, so he bore it with some low grunts. The only indication he was in pain, his voice remaining as soothing, or what he hoped to be soothing, as ever. His ploy succeeded, and she clung closely to him, as she could feel her troubles, and her securities, flow unto him.

"She wanted so badly to tell Tails how she felt, yet, something held her back. It was always something, as if she felt she wasn't worthy of his love. I… I admonished her for that. If not outwardly, at least inwardly. I couldn't believe sometimes how foolish she acted, how obvious it was that Tails had more than a passing fancy in her. I feel… I feel so… so… guilty… Now that she's gone, I miss her already. I miss her innocence, what may seem common sense to you or me would be sure to elicit a startled gasp followed by a blissful acknowledgement. In that way, she slowly assimilated herself to our society. For all of her faults, for all of her fears, I truly loved her. Now that's she's gone, i… I don't know how I'm supposed to continue. I just don't know what to do, other than suffer for my lack of realization. I never realized until she was gone, the impact she had on my life. And… and what hurts the most is that I should have known, I should have been more aware. She had died before, and through some miracle of fate she had returned. I…I took her for granted. I took so much for granted; such was the completeness of my delusion. Sonic, what am I supposed to do?" She looked to him for guidance, as he sincerely pondered her predicament. After much deliberation, he announced his answer, though to him it felt hollow and lacking resonance, though perhaps all Amy had wanted was any suggestion he could come up with.

"You need to continue living, that's what Cosmo would want. She lived her life wanting others to be as happy, or happier than she was. She would not want you to fall into despair for her sake. Amy, you have nothing to apologize for, just try and weather this thing. Ok? I'll help you any way I can." Amy looked up to him, her heart beating ever faster. Her arms wrapped around him, she didn't want to let him go. She needed him, and she realized that emotion at a critical junction.

"Listen… it's late, I'll head back to my place and see you first thing tomorrow morning." Sonic spoke, trying his best to sound gentle. In all honesty, he felt slightly perturbed at the way Amy was using him as an emotional crutch. Yet, as he tried to move, Amy held onto his arm tightly. He tried to ask her what was the matter, but she merely hushed him with her voice.

"I need you… now more than ever…Sonic, please stay… I… I don't want to weather this night in seclusion." She hinted gravely, as her own feminine instincts grabbed a fine hold over her. She slowly sauntered to her feet, and began to walk to her stair case. Sonic was somewhat shocked by this declaration, yet before long the old familiar Amy had returned. The Amy who got what she wanted, or else. Nonetheless, he felt compelled to ask.

"Amy what are you talking about?" Sonic already knew, but felt obliged out of genericness to state the aforementioned. Somehow thinking that her answer would be radically different from what he knew to be true. He was proven wrong in short order, as he thought he would be, miracles apparently having been used up by Walt Disney.

"I bought a queen sized bed for a reason Sonic, for a reason aside from my no doubt apparent regality, I'm sure you can figure out the rest…" She rebuked him with a seductive tone underlying the final phrase, and a completely unsubtle slight shake of her hips. Which he knew had been intentional. Sonic gave a sigh at that remark, turning away from the well- maintained staircase, as he heard Amy's footsteps as they impacted the boards. They hadn't even kissed yet, and had only been dating for four hours. Though he knew, as Amy would put it, they had been technically dating for several years, and he had just now realized. He could hear her walking in the upstairs rooms, towards what he supposed was her room. A place he had never been in before, and he almost shuddered. What if there was some sort of shrine to him? He gave a small grin, until he heard the next noise. Above him he could hear the sounds of her sobbing, supposedly muffled by perhaps a pillow, yet the reverberations could be heard throughout the house. Her earlier demeanor had been a façade, for how broken she truly was both mentally and emotionally. He gave yet another sigh, still standing somewhat in rapture near the stairwell. He had a feeling this encounter wasn't going to end well, yet he didn't have much of inkling on how to deny her something she didn't really want yet in her current emotionally ravaged state desperately felt she needed. He supposed this situation was partly his fault, her emotional weakness no doubt stemming from his rather cruel actions over the years. If he rebuked her request, then that would probably be the end of their short-lived relationship. He didn't even want to know what Amy's response would be to his concerns, she didn't care.

He supposed she was only asking for something so drastic and unexpected because it made her feel worthwhile to somebody. She desperately needed the feeling that someone needed her, that she was important in some way. Her intentions were noble, but the methods of getting there would undoubtedly cause more harm than good. Yet, he couldn't sway her. He had seen the glimmer in her eyes, which occurred whenever she wasn't backing down. This was apparently going to be one of those times. Seeing as how he had no easy out, he supposed the best he might as well make the best of a bad situation. He would at least go to a store of some sort and find a Trojan, he didn't want things getting any worse than they already had, and with that device he had some sort of protection. He wasn't a prude by any long stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't supposed to happen like this, not after a death and only out of feelings of despair and pity. He could already tell he wouldn't enjoy the experience, and neither would Amy, the least he could do was minimize the regret they would both feel afterwards wasting a moment that should have been precious and have waited till later. He turned from the staircase, taking what he presumed to be one last whiff of the wondrous smell that seemed to emanate from the house, no doubt because of Amy's meticulousness. He was just about to scream up the stairs where he was going, when the phone rang, and his heart suddenly lifted. Perhaps it was Knuckles, asking what had happened or, in his usual knuckle headed way, simply wondering what the plans for next week might be. It was common knowledge Amy was the unofficial events person of the group, a position she relished greatly. Either that or it was Rouge, whom Amy had told him one day had recently taken to calling her late at night to brag about all the things she had stolen from whatever store or museum. The situation was pretty interchangeable.

As he raced quickly towards the phone, having snapped out of his day dreaming, he still thought about these suppositions. He already knew what he would do, tell them to come over right away, and then tell Amy they would have to postpone on their "adventure" because friends had phoned wanting to know what had happened. Sure it was a lie, but it was better than the alternative. He even managed a chuckle; he had never found himself this intensely moralistic before. In any other situation, he would have been greatly enthusiastic about such an undertaking. But not now, not when a friend had recently been murdered, and most certainly not out of pity. He may have considered himself an asshole but he wasn't manipulative, to what he knew would be a surprise to his friends, he considered himself a romantic of sorts. He was apparently, not a very good one. Perhaps his newfound morality had been born out of necessity. Whatever the case, he kept these happy thoughts squirming about in his head until he at last reached the source of his salvation. As he picked up the phone to answer, as he could feel the smoothness of the device as he raised it slowly to his ear. He stood in bated breath, eagerly awaiting his escape from Amy's hysterical demands, bred out of grief and self-pity. All his dreams shattered, and in an instant, everything was worse. Everything was much worse.

"A-Amy?" It was the one voice at that time he didn't want to hear most of all. Out of all the people affected by the catastrophe brought on by the sniper's bullet, Tails had been the most affected. Given that description, it should not have been hard to decipher who was on the phone with him then. The frightened voice was unmistakable, if low in pitch and seemingly high in fear. Though of what, he could not say, at least not yet. Would he want to know?

"Amy-y are you… are you there? He-hello?" The voice seemed to plead, his anxiety seeming to ooze out of the phone. This snapped Sonic out of his trance, as now he would have to contend with Tails, and he felt almost angry, why did he have to worry about Tails as well? Why did he have to play patch with everybody? Why couldn't they mend their own damn problems and leave him out of it? He had only so much sympathy to pass around, before it would run dry. Admittedly, his sympathy was never unusually high to begin with.

"Do you not care? Does anybody…. Anybody care? I don't care then if…if I talk to myself. I c-can make do by my own d-d-d-"The stuttering continued, for what might have been hours if Sonic had not interrupted, finally free of his emotional constraints. He tried his best to sound supportive, though he would admit he wasn't in the mood now to play again. Seeing as how it had turned out with Amy, he was almost horrified to think what Tails might do given his advice. If it could even be called that…

"Tails, I'm here, listen I know it must feel bad that Cosmo is dead, but you can get through it…" Sonic stated almost without emotion. Truth be told, horrendous as it sounded, he didn't really care. He had enough on his plate with Amy. Soon enough he would be forced as if by gun-point to go accomplish whatever god-forsaken fantasy Amy required of him, and he was denied the reprieve of inviting a friend over to discuss what had happened and perhaps the coming of somebody who could better relate to Amy than he did at this time. Besides, his advice so far had been terrible, his intention had not been to coerce Amy sleazily into having sex with him. Yet, that's how their conversation had gone, and he was stuck with that consequence. If he tried his best to espouse good advice like he had done earlier, how might that backfire?

"R-rea-ll-lly Sonic? Am I really so unimportant that you…you would give me such a-a-an text book answer? As if I'm an i-id-idiot?" Sonic noticed his slurred words were becoming more pronounced and grating to the ears. He felt some temptation to straight up say he sure as hell sounded like an idiot.

"A-Amy was right, you're nothing bu-but an ass! There's a reas-reason I called he-he-here and not your pl-place! Amy migh-might give a shit!" Sonic could feel his blood boil. He didn't need this, not now. He didn't feel like being lectured so brazenly by someone four years his junior. He had enough shit on his plate without Tail's to pile on more. Who the hell did Tails think he was? They all had problems, they were all stressed. Somehow, this was his fault! It was his fault for not wanting to deal with anything else today? As if his day couldn't possibly get worse? Cosmo had been his friend as well, and he didn't have any time to nurture his own fractured psyche because nobody would fucking let him. With that rage in mind, he felt himself snap as he screamed into the phone, loud enough to audibly scare Amy on the floor above. He could hear her suddenly fall, presumably from her bed.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? KISS YOUR BOO-BOO AND MAKE IT ALL BETTER? AM I SOME KIND OF FUCKING MIRACLE BAND-AID NOW? IT'S ALWAYS "SONIC THIS", OR "SONIC THAT"! "SONIC HELP ME WITH THIS", OR"RESCUE HER FROM THAT"! "SONIC EGGMAN IS ATTACKING WE NEED YOUR HELP!" ITS NEVER BEEN, "GEE SONIC, YOU'VE HAD SUCH A STRESSFUL DAY, MAYBE I COULD GIVE YOU SOME TIME TO FIX YOUR OWN SELF UP BEFORE I MADE ANY LUDICROUS AND UNREASONABLE DEMANDS ON YOU! OR EVEN BETTER, MAYBE ONE DAY, JUST ONE DAY, ILL BE LEFT ALONE LONG ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY HAVE A NICE DAY WITHOUT BEING HOUNDED CONSTANTLY BY PEOPLE WHO SOMEHOW ASSUME THE "ASS" IS THE PERFECT SOLUTION TO THEIR MENTAL ILLS!" Sonic could feel the rage ebb from him like a tide, rage he had pent up for longer than he could remember. Unleashing it all on the fragile and easily frightened form of Tails, who had shut up almost immediately during his verbal barrage. As Sonic began to calm down after his verbal assault, the phone became silent. Yet, it was on. Of that he was sure; the background noise emanating from what he suspected to be Tail's workshop was unmistakable. He began to feel uncomfortable as the minutes stretched on. He had expected a retort, and had received none, not even a reply. He stood there, phone in hand for what seemed like an eternity, the clock seeming to slow down, as sweat dripped from his brow. He began to think he had picked the wrong time to espouse his true feelings. The room had become deadly quiet, and he couldn't even hear the sobbing of Amy. As if she had simply disappeared. One good thing, he thought with some solemnity. Then he heard something over the phone, as Tails seemingly returned from wherever he had gone. And his nightmare began, as he began to comprehend what was going on in that lonely workshop, so many miles away from civilization. The sweat from his brow began to appear in other places as well.

"Sonic, I thought that you'd care… I thou-thought for sure… in my time of need instead, you…you berate me for asking… ask-asking for help… Sonic I-I-I can't go on… li-liv-living… I hear things, evil things, wicked things. Their everywhere now… all around me… circling me as if I'm naught but a..a…a dead man walking through a desert. I'm remembering things, at least… at least I think I am… flashes, images… words and voices… all mingling… all interrelated. I see fire, everywhere, even when… when I close my eyes I see burning. And when I open my eyes again; to perhaps see the light. To perhaps ward away my fears, I then see…I see… hate. Endless, bottomless, never-ending hate… I don't know what to do anymore… it's too much for me… they taunt me, the voices… they allude to things I just can't remember. They speak of my past; they speak of things which I've forgotten. Sonic… I've forgotten who my parents were… why can't I remember who my parents are? For years i-I've never questioned that. I just assumed…I just assumed… but now, now I need ans-answers. Why can't I remember? WHAT THE FUCKS WRONG WITH ME SONIC! I've never, remembered my parents, I've never…never even mentioned them… as if it was… was inconsequential but now… now… something's changing… inside me. A beast, hideous and horrid, like it's been gestating inside me for years… I can feel it, like shivers down my spine. I'm changing Sonic, somehow… I'm not T-T-Tails anymore I don't know what I am! WHAT THE FUCK AM I SONIC! WH-WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME? I'm so scared right now, like...like I don't know who I am anymore… as if somehow, Cosmo kept this all… kept this all away, and now…now she's gone… now she's gone… she was everything to me Sonic… maybe I didn't stress it, but I loved her, she was everything to me… and now, and now everything…is gone. Replaced by…by this feeling, of the most profound despair, Sonic… I'm afraid of…what I'll do. Sonic I-"

The line went dead, and Sonic felt the chill intensify. As if this had been orchestrated by some higher power, he could still hear his weakness in his mind. How truly frightened he was. He felt his mood change dramatically, as he could feel himself break into a run. As he felt his arm snag on something, a small needle on the hallway, he didn't care. Pain, moments later, as he raced down the hallway, and threw open the main door. He could hear Amy's confused and angry voice as he did so.

"FUCK YOU SONIC! LEAVE ME ALL AL-"Sonic was already out the door, unworried right now about Amy's condition. That was replaced with a need to save Tails from his demons. He had failed before; he had failed in listening to his pleas. Now, now he needed to make up for it, he needed to save him. The various buildings were a blur, he didn't care. He was moving so fast, one could literally hear the boom from at least a mile away, he still did not care. Nothing else mattered in those minutes; nothing else could prevent him from his goal. Until… until he saw the moon, or what was left of it anyways. He couldn't help himself, as he stopped mid dash, and gazed in horror at the writing that had been scrawled onto the moon by some unseen hand. His astonishment lasted but a few seconds, and then he bolted, even faster than before. Yet even as he ran, even as he tried to escape the horrendous vision, he could hear its message ringing in his head.

"Your speed cannot save him… from what shall come to pass."

In the background, something laughed, unnaturally. Sonic became a bullet, as he coursed his way towards Tails workshop, praying he wasn't too late.

Elsewhere blood trickled into a small pool besides a stool, a photo from happier times atop a nearby table standing sentinel to the horrific act.


End file.
